Robert "Bob" Dale Hullinger

This is my final earthly byline.

I say earthly because how can anyone say with absolute certainly their final destination? I don’t know if there will be publications there, but I feel certain there will be some form of communication. If I had a vote, I know I would nod yea for newspapers, the lifeblood of communications when I came to work at the Kokomo Tribune as a sportswriter on a basketball semi-state Saturday in 1958. Yes, Jimmy Rayl and the Kats were playing.

It’s not that I have anything against modern technology – although it has fostered the decline of print media – but it’s that some authors, unbridled from knowledgeable, professional editors, sometimes generate materials that haven’t been verified and then use them to write inaccurate articles. It’s tough to depend upon social media for accurate news as most young folks do today.

But wait, I’m getting ahead of my story, or obituary, a word which sounds so dull to describe a person’s life. It seems a headline writer should select an interesting part of a person’s existence and catch readers’ attention just like all the other stories . . . even the mundane ones. Anyway, I’m Robert (Bob) D. Hullinger, 87, of Kokomo, and I died at Howard Community Hospital on May 23. I was attended to by my only true love, Rita, and two wonderful children, Lisa York and Scott Hullinger, who have demonstrated their love for me over and over.

Family was the bulk of my life. Much of it is also personal, but I think it’s okay to tell you that I have felt loved for 62 years of togetherness. Rita and I had a blissful marriage. A blessed marriage. We were specialists in togetherness. If you saw one of us, you probably saw both of us. I fell hard for Rita. I walked into the Trib one morning and she was the new switchboard operator. From then on, I spent so much time in the circulation department that her boss asked if I had changed departments!

In the beginning, I was born at home in Mier, IN, on June 17, 1937, into a pro-life family, the fifth child born to Harvey and Nancy (Burnworth) Hullinger, parents with few monetary assets but rich in caring and love. Dad was a multi-talented, do-anything-with-his-hands father, who took me with him on a variety of job adventures. A stay-at-home mom, my mother was a culinary master of simple foods, and was always ready with soft hands and heart to “make things right.”

I wish others had the family life I had. Maybe the love I felt came from the six of us jammed into a four-room house because physical closeness necessitates getting along. Having your own space wasn’t an option. We learned to share early in life and there were always plenty of the important ingredients, like food, laughter, music, work, and hope. My parents rarely said no to me and always provided plenty of support. They gave me a good start.

I always felt that I was lucky throughout life. I continued to receive support and influence from a variety of teachers and mentors, and I attended college, a first in my family. While I didn’t graduate from Manchester College, my son, Scott, finished what I couldn’t, with a great academic and athletic career at MC. He also served 10 years on the board of directors at Manchester University, a name change he helped foster.

A 1955 graduate of Converse High School, I played in the Miami County basketball championships that year and we were the sectional runners-up. While it may seem insignificant after 70 years, that experience made a major impact on my life. It motivated me so much that a picture of our winning team hung in my office for 45 years. I glanced at my teammates whenever I needed a shot of determination. Champs!

While this may seem facetious, for the most part, my work life was a lot of fun. I enjoyed two careers and even mixed the two for a time. An essay on the Mier village grocer, plus a lot of luck, bought me entry into the newsroom at The Chronicle, the evening paper in Marion, where I took correspondents’ stories and got my first experience at writing obits. Shortly thereafter, it was a short jump from news into the sports department, a little bit of heaven for a 19-year-old.

Armed with two years’ experience, I was ready for my move to sports-crazy Howard County, where I experienced perhaps the richest 10-year run in Kokomo sports history, from 1958-68. Backed by an experienced staff of writers, the Tribune aggressively covered central Indiana high school sports as well as Indiana, Purdue, and Notre Dame sports, and the Indianapolis 500. It was a grand time to be a sportswriter. I was blessed to be influenced by characters on the Trib staff and Kokomo-area coaches and players.

A highlight of my work life was the opportunities I had to work with both of my children: Lisa, during my newspaper career, and Scott, Vice President/Partner, at Mier Products, Inc.

Family responsibilities made me look to industry for a second career, and I was taken under wing by a local, longtime sports enthusiast and industrialist who took me into his office to teach a novice a new game. After working 25 years at B-W Manufacturers, Inc., including a three-year stretch at The Sports Page when I left B-W to manage it, I founded Mier Products, Inc., a 28-employee company which continues to operate today.

Mier Products, named after my hometown, was a unique opportunity. I was 52 when I created the company in 1987, and it provided me with a chance to put together the lessons I had learned over a lifetime. Successful and satisfyingly so. It continues today to service the security and electrical industries with its products nationwide. I was still working 40 hours a week, up until three weeks before I died. Work keeps you young!

Survivors include my wife, Rita Hullinger; daughter, Lisa York; son, Scott (Julie) Hullinger; grandson, Tyler Hullinger; granddaughter, Emily (Don) York Shaw; niece, Doris (Lawrence) Stephan; nephews, Joe (Dede) Ross, Jim (Fran) Ross, and Jeff (Samantha) Ross; sisters-in-law, Anne Wiles and Mary Addison; brother-in-law, John Wiles; nieces Tracy (DeWayne) Flynn, Tonya (Jeff) Wolfe; Jamie (Josh) Wiles-Smith; and Jessica (Jason) Goughnour; nephew Travis (Melinda) Addison; and several grand-nieces and grand-nephews. My childhood friend who lived next door to my family in Mier, Richard Skinner, also survives.

I was preceded in death by my son, Robert Matthew Hullinger; son-in-law, Mark York; parents, Harvey and Nancy Hullinger; brother, Harvey Reel Hullinger; sisters, Marilyn Hullinger, Norma Planck and Nancy Ross; brothers-in-law, Tom Planck, Jack Ross and George Addison; sister-in-law, Nancy Wiles; niece, Kathy Van-Hoosier; and nephews, Warren Planck and John Ross. My in-laws, Kenneth and Charlotte Wiles, whom I also considered parents, preceded me in death as well.

A Mass of Christian Burial celebrating my life will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 30, at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 3155 County Road S 200 W, Kokomo, with burial to follow in Kokomo Memorial Park. Friends may call from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, at Shirley & Stout Funeral Home, 1315 W. Lincoln Rd., in Kokomo, with a scripture service at 7 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to The Arc of Indiana (a nonprofit resource for people with autism and other intellectual and development disabilities) or Sts. Joan of Arc and Patrick School.

A note from the Hullinger family: Dad drafted this obituary but did not quite finish it. In addition to his wife and family, he loved to work. The week before he died, Bob was still suggesting product ideas from the hospital bed. He also had a couple of future Tribune articles in mind. He was an avid reader of both books and local and national newspapers. And he loved to write.

From an early age, he enjoyed driving sports cars, particularly his special edition Miata convertible. Dad enjoyed traveling, especially throughout central Indiana, regaling us with tales of historic basketball games, and visiting high school gymnasiums once ringing with “Hoosier Hysteria” that are now mainly empty. He coined the term Mid-Indiana Conference during his sports-writing days. His column was entitled, “Bob-Tales.” He encouraged both his brother-in-law, John Wiles, and his daughter, Lisa York, to make the most of their writing and editing skills. John would go on to serve as editor of the Tribune, and Lisa worked in several communication roles in Indianapolis.

He was well known for baking the best homemade black raspberry and butterscotch pies – his crust was second to none. Dad also made homemade noodles for family dinners and tried his hand many a time at homemade breads, pizza crusts, apple dumplings and cinnamon rolls.  He was equally passionate about visiting bakeries wherever he traveled, something the family teased him about.

Dad was a member of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church. He was an active contributor to the Converse High School alumni newsletter. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1960-1966 as a Seargeant E-5 but was humble about it, deferring honor to those who served in combat. That’s just the man he was – humble, loving, giving, honest, kind, funny, and faithful to our Lord.

Dad loved family most of all, and that included his Mier Products family, too. Nothing pumped him up more than a holiday celebration, surrounded by loved ones laughing and sharing a meal. He never met a stranger, often striking up a conversation or offering some assistance. Dad’s impact on others was significant, and the world was a better, kinder place with him in it. He will be greatly missed.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.