Memorial set for Wood Dale's 'Pastor Rick'

The Rev. Richard "Rick" Bullis was generous and serious when the time called for it, but if you ask his children, he also had a knack for fishing and may have been the inventor of the "dad joke."

Friends, family and the Wood Dale faith community will gather Saturday afternoon to remember "Pastor Rick," the co-founder of the Agape Family Church and World Outreach Center in Wood Dale, who died Feb. 14 at age 73.

His life will be celebrated during a memorial service at 2 p.m. at Jubilee Bible Church in Medinah with Rev. Tim Roames of Good News Christian Center of Des Plaines officiating.

His wife, the Rev. Elizabeth Ann "Betsy" Bullis, died in 2004.

The couple founded Agape Family Church in Wood Dale in 1980 and quickly became known throughout the city for taking the homeless into their own home, caring for the sick and elderly and being an outreach resource for the Wood Dale Police Department.

Their daughter Jennifer Kress, speaking for the family, said her father enjoyed working with children in the schools as a substitute teacher and on the sidelines at youth athletic events.

"He was brilliant," Kress said, "So he was also the go-to tutor for everyone."

It was during his professional travels, however, where Bullis discovered his love of ministry.

In China, he and Pastor Betsy focused on underground churches, often providing ministry supplies and Western treats they missed from home. Through the Wood Dale church he was able to support missionaries in South Africa, Jakarta, Costa Rica and many other countries and organizations such as Harvest Now.

Although his calling as a father, pastor, missionary and friend occupied much of his time, Kress said her father also enjoyed fishing, creating stained glass art, and being so silly in public that his children wanted to hide.

"He truly had a stupid sense of humor and he never hesitated to let it shine in public. Everyone knew his goofy sense of humor," Kress said. "He was enigmatic. And his sermons were always boisterous."

In July 2006, two years after his wife's death, Bullis married Esther Zhang in a small ceremony at the Great Wall of China, and she became his new ministry partner and support for the three young girls he adopted from China.

During the 12 years he and Esther were together, they continued the church outreach, traveled extensively and enjoyed pastimes like hiking.

The family asks those attending Saturday's memorial service to consider supporting the college tuition of the Bullis family's "Three China Dolls." A gofundme has been created at www.gofundme.com/support-for-pastor-bullis039-3-china-dolls-college.