William L. Gullett's Obituary
William Larry Gullett, 72, of Germantown, TN, passed away on Friday, September 22, 2023, at home with his loving and devoted wife of 52 years, Phyllis, at his side, after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Larry was born October 7, 1950, in Memphis, TN, to Cecil and Mary Gullett. He would first meet Phyllis, the love of his life, at the age of 8 on a church trip - having their 1st official date at the age of 13 at the Sweetheart Banquet at Lamar Heights Baptist Church. Neither would ever date anyone else and they were married on July 31, 1971.
Larry had a passion for radio from an early age. He enrolled with the Columbia School of Broadcasting at the age of 15. His parents further encouraged his passion by helping him set up a small broadcast studio in their garage, and later he worked as a DJ on the radio.
His passion would develop further when at the age of 21 he purchased the Memphis franchise of the Columbia School of Broadcasting. For over 20 years he would go on to train countless students aspiring to careers in broadcasting and radio. Larry would eventually transition to sales at Bud Davis Cadillac in the late 1990’s. His contagious smile and his kindness quickly built a loyal following among Memphis Cadillac drivers. He would remain there until his retirement in 2013.
Larry’s number one hobby was spending time with his wife and children. There were many camping trips, vacations, movie nights, and lots of joking around. He loved making his family laugh as much as he enjoyed laughing himself - humor and kindness were woven into the very fabric of his soul. He encouraged his children to follow their dreams and passions and ensured that not a day went by without them knowing they were loved.
Larry’s commitment to family was rooted in his heart for Jesus which was evident to all who met him. Larry came to a saving faith in Jesus at an early age, joyfully served for years in the youth department at Bellevue Baptist Church, and spent many active years as a church deacon at Bellevue where he was a member for 49 years. He brought peace, kindness, love and laughter to everyone that knew him.
Larry was preceded in death by his parents Cecil and Mary Gullett. Larry is survived by his wife Phyllis (née Bailey), their 3 children Trent (Elizabeth), Justin (Lauren), and Lauren (Blake), and 5 grandchildren Liam, Luke, Stephen, Kaitlyn, and Jacks. The family will receive friends on Thursday, September 28th at Bellevue Baptist Church, 2000 Appling Road, Cordova, TN from 11 AM until 1 PM in the chapel. A celebration of life service to follow at 1 PM in the chapel.
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” [Col. 3:12 NLT]
In lieu of flowers memorials in his name may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?frequency_selected=1&sc_dcm=58700008008698866&sc_cid=kwp&sc_cat=b&ds_rl=1290690&ds_rl=1291300&ds_rl=1285465&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxKPwoPTIgQMVqzbUAR1Kew3fEAAYASABEgJ9gvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
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