Phillip Ray Hull, 85, of Vanceburg, passed away Wednesday, September 16, 2026, surrounded by his loving family.
Phillip was born at Tollesboro on June 7, 1941, the eldest son of Ralph Barbour and Ona Helen Turner Hull.
A farmer at heart, he spent his life driven by its calling. He raised tobacco, operated a dairy farm, raised beef cattle, and produced many crops, including corn and soybeans.
A respected contributor to his community, Mr. Hull was honored by his commission as a Kentucky Colonel in 1971, a recognition bestowed only with the sitting governor’s approval after a nomination review detailing noteworthy deeds. Mr. Hull was also a member of Cornerstone Church in Tollesboro.
Mr. Hull was a brilliant entrepreneur and a self-made man who began his career working as a teller at Bank of Maysville. Later, he rose to serve as vice president of Citizens Deposit Bank, now Peoples Bank, and chartered his own bank in 1976, The First National Bank of Lewis County. He also owned and operated a trucking company and a used car dealership, obtained his real estate license, and ultimately became a property and casualty insurance broker, owning and operating Bertram-Hull Insurance in Vanceburg for many years before retiring to focus fully on his farm.
Left to cherish Phillip’s memory are his only living child, Ona Colette Hull of Vanceburg; two granddaughters, Brittany (Neal) Whatley of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, and Halee Church (Brandon Rawlins) of West Portsmouth, Ohio; six great-grandchildren; a beloved sister-in-law, Stella Hull of Tollesboro; nieces and nephews; dear cousins in Kentucky, Ohio, and Texas; his church family; and many friends who will miss him and cherish his memory.
Preceding him in death, in addition to his parents, Barbour and Helen Hull, were his infant son, Stephen Turner Hull; a younger brother, Larry Hull; his wife of nearly 50 years, Carol Hull; and his former wife, the mother of his surviving child, Anita Tucker Hull Yuenger.
The family will hold a private memorial service and asks that remembrances be sent as donations to Cornerstone Community Church, 11196 KY 57, Tollesboro, KY 41189.
Gaydos Funeral Home in Vanceburg is caring for Phillip Ray Hull’s family.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.gaydosfh.com.
