Edward "Sonny" Pulliam was born on March 9th, 1936 to Austin and Lena Mae Pulliam in Shannon County, Missouri.  He was the first of seven children; 6 boys and one girl. He is survived by two brothers, Richard "Greg" Pulliam and Preston Pulliam. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Abe, Jody , Ray and his sister Virginia.

In 1959, Sonny married his love and "Shoogie", Alice June Bowling.  Together, they had two daughters, Tammy Gayle and Tonya Rebecca.  He is survived by his wife, Alice, his daughter Tammy and her husband, Rick Nickum and his daughter Tonya and her husband Mark Rinker.

Sonny is also survived and cherished by his first granddaughter Kim Weaver and her husband Whitney, his first grandson Michael Eutsler and his wife Bailey, his granddaughter Abby Pendergrass and her husband Mike, his grandson Timothy Nickum and his wife Heather and his youngest grandson, Dylan Rinker. Sonny absolutely adored his grandchildren.

Sonny and Alice were further blessed with 7 great-grandchildren, Easton Pendergrass, August Weaver, Masen Pendergrass, Riley Nickum, Fisher Eutsler, Chloe Nickum and Adlie Eutsler.  Sonny was very involved in the lives of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren as long as he was able. They were very precious to him.

Sonny is also survived by several very good friends and family members who he loved dearly, enjoying every moment with them.

Sonny worked in the logging and automobile industry for the majority of his life.  He earned respect in the community and with his family for his integrity, honesty and work ethic over the years.  He went on to, along with son-in-law Rick Nickum, own a very successful auto body repair business.

Sonny's priority was his family. He was a good provider and was an absolute pillar for each person in his family.  He was a teacher of many things to many people.  He gained his strength in his young years growing up in southeast Missouri.  He once said "We were poor, but we didn't know it.  We thought we had it good." Through adversity, he learned how to build and fix everything. Until his last day, he was fixing, problem-solving and "fiddling" with things in his own way.

Sonny was dearly loved, respected and cared-for by his family. His footsteps have been followed both literally and figuratively in many ways.  He was extremely protective and always reminded everyone to "be careful". To say he will be very missed is an understatement, but his love will live on in the hearts of those who will always love him. As the song goes, "I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you; it's what you leave behind you when you go." Sonny left an abundance of not only love, but also physical items he touched and built with his two strong hands and the knowledge that his loved ones were not only important to him, but a part of him.

Graveside services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, November 2, 2023, in Crane Community Cemetery, Crane, Mo. Cremation was under the direction of Stumpff Funeral Home, Crane, MO.