When Edmund “Ned” Bullis was asked Thursday his secret to living to 100, he didn’t point to a special diet, exercise routine or miracle cure.
Instead, he smiled and offered a bit of understated wisdom.
“Just get up and out of bed in the morning.”
Bullis celebrated his 100th birthday at The Mariner July 9, surrounded by family and friends. Select Board member Moses Grader was there, too, delivering a proclamation honoring Bullis as an “honorable centenarian of the town of Marblehead” and celebrating a life devoted to family, public service and lifelong learning.
Born on July 9, 1926, Bullis entered a world that looked vastly different from today’s. Calvin Coolidge was president, the United States was enjoying the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties, commercial aviation was in its infancy, and television had yet to reach American homes. Route 66 had not been built, the Great Depression was still three years away, and Babe Ruth was in the prime of his legendary baseball career.
Over the next century, Bullis would witness nearly every defining chapter of modern American history — from World War II and the moon landing to the birth of the internet — while building a life centered on family, community and simple pleasures.
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Bullis, the first resident to celebrate a 100th birthday at The Mariner, was dressed for the occasion in a navy bow tie adorned with tiny sailboats. His grandson, Eric, picked out the bow tie and tied it for him before the celebration.
Bullis grew up in Port Washington, New York. After graduating from high school, he attended Yale University before serving two years in Japan during the Allied occupation following World War II. Returning home, he completed his economics degree at Yale in 1950.
His career took him from the Mohawk Carpet Company to Marriott’s Hot Shoppes before he moved to Boston to work in banking and later spent decades consulting on employee benefit programs. He married his wife, Anne, in 1959, and the couple settled in Marblehead the following year, where they raised their family.
Bullis was also skilled with his hands, from tinkering on his boats to weaving a rug from an old job sheet to woodworking in his barn workshop.
A lifelong sailor, Bullis learned to sail on Long Island Sound before making Marblehead Harbor his home waters. He owned a succession of sailboats named Lyric, cruising the Maine coast, the Elizabeth Islands and beyond. He also remained an avid skier well into his 90s, making annual trips to New Hampshire and later Utah with friends.
Music has always been another passion. Bullis plays both the clarinet and piano and enjoys classical music and Broadway show tunes, especially from “Annie Get Your Gun.” These days, he still enjoys taking walks and listening to live music performed by Marblehead High School students at The Mariner.
His commitment to Marblehead matched his many hobbies. According to the proclamation, Bullis served on the Planning Board, was president of the Marblehead Historical Society and rarely missed a Town Meeting. At the Eastern Yacht Club, where he has been a member since 1966, he served on numerous committees, helped digitize the club’s historical records and received the Barker Distinguished Service Award for his contributions.
His son, David Bullis, said his father’s greatest lessons had little to do with accomplishments.
“He taught me to live in the moment and not get too far ahead of yourself,” David said.
His father also advised him to stay connected to other people, David added.
Those connections filled the room Thursday as family members shared stories and laughter with the guest of honor.
For someone who has experienced a century of extraordinary change, Bullis is most content with life’s ordinary moments — a walk, a favorite song, time with family and friends.
