1970 - 2002
Mark was adopted at age 3 by Joyce and Stewart Pullan who lived in Ocean Grove, NJ. As kids Mark and I (Joy) grew up in a town that is litteral known as both the "square mile" for it's size and "the home of the newly wed or nearly dead" do to its family oriented lifestyles and lack of hot spots. I would frequently see Mark around town hanging out with his friends specifically Tommy Velardi his best friend from before kindergarten. Mark was either on his Red Line cruising around town or playing football in front of the Auditorium. Mark spent sometime before the age of 10 with his mom in Florida becasue she was sick and would need to go down there for rest. Mark's mom Joyce passed away when Mark was 10. Mark's father Stewart has since remarried to Marie Pullan and now live in Florida themselves.
Mark and I went separate paths until one Friday night when we were both at Paul's Tavern back in October of 1993. I recognized him instantly and was amazed at how gorgeous he had become (he was a short little guy when we were growing up together) he was tall and had the most amazing smile and those blue eyes...I can't even remember anything we said to each other that night...I just remember being happy. We ended up back at his place which was a small one room apartment off of a house in Avon, NJ. We talked for a bit and then he asked me to spend the night that he would just like to hold me...which he did for the next nine years. Back then he rode his bicycle everywhere. I thought it was the sweetest thing that he would ride through 3 towns (6 miles at least) to visit me at my apartment. I didn't even have a phone at the time for him to call and see if I would be there...he would just show up!