Carleen Murdock Pullen

Carleen (Carlee as her friends called her) Pearl Murdock Pullen of Sykesville, Maryland, passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends on the evening of January 24th at a 10:15 pm. She was born October 12th, 1950 at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. Carleen graduated from the University of Maryland and furthered her education with a Master's in Computer Science and she continued her learning by obtaining a number of certifications to enhance her skills. Her career spanned 35 years at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, where her contributions to our national security and the space program earned her great recognition and will span beyond her lifetime. Carleen greatly valued the deep friendships formed during her time at the lab, which continued into her retirement years. She enjoyed her life with her husband Keats (Kap), and their dogs Buddy, Riley, Pammy, and Gus (who have passed away) and her faithful companions Dusty and Marshall, who provided immense comfort, especially in her final months. Kap and Carleen met on the Northern Central Trail riding bikes with a group led by a dear friend and coworker. Carleen got a flat tire and Kap took the opportunity to help her and that is where their life of friendship and love together began. Carleen's passion for music was evident through her mastery of various instruments including the accordion, piano, guitar, and ukulele. A proud member of the Maryland Accordion Club, she enjoyed performing as a group and especially found great joy playing together at local parades and fairs. She was mostly a self-taught musician and enjoyed spending time practicing. Her other hobbies she loved included RVing, traveling, reading, kayaking, bicycling, attending train and steam shows, church, bird/animal watching and playing with her dogs. Carleen is survived by her loving and devoted husband Keats Pullen; loving daughters Shelley Johnson (husband Kevin Johnson) and Caretta Jones; stepson Christopher Pullen (wife Kristina Pullen). Her brothers Hubert, Arnold (wife Kathy) and George Murdock (wife Cheri), all residing in Charleston, SC. Nephews Kyle, Matthew and Austin Murdock. A memorial service to celebrate Carleen's remarkable life will be held on Saturday, February 3rd, services start promptly at 1pm and the family would love for you to join them for lunch at the Morgan Chapel Church Hall immediately following the service. Morgan Chapel United Methodist Church, 6750 Woodbine Road, Woodbine, MD 21797. Burial in South Carolina to be announced. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the food bank at Carleen’s church. The church requests checks be made payable to Morgan Chapel Church, Inc. (mark in the Memo Line Memorial for Carleen Pullen - Food Pantry) or make a donation online to MorganChapel.Church (there is a place to make a notation for the donation to apply). For those unable to attend here is a zoom link and the services will be LIVE streamed at 1pm EST. Join Zoom Meeting - https://zoom.us/j/95469634432?pwd=V1RRN3VscnFxU0I0OEpIQy91dDZLZz09 Meeting ID: 954 6963 4432 Passcode: 857596

Carleen Murdock Pullen

October 12, 1950 - January 24, 2024