Steel And Tenderness: The Story Of Florence Tullis And Her Family

Basic Information

Early life and the names she carried

Florence “Rusty” Tullis was a woman of many names and one unmistakable voice. Public records and profiles often trace her birth name as Florence Steinberg; over the years, the surnames Dennis, Mason, and Tullis surfaced in news, memorials, and family trees. The shifting names reflected a life lived at the edges of convention—part domestic battleground, part communal home base, always defined by her unflinching loyalty to her children.

By the late 1960s and 1970s, Rusty had settled into the working-class rhythms of Southern California. She was a familiar figure in biker circles, the kind of woman who could rebuild the day from scratch after midnight and who never mistook sentimentality for strength. That steel would be needed. Her younger son, Roy L. “Rocky” Dennis, arrived with a diagnosis that carried long odds and a medical literature thin as tissue.

Motherhood and a medical odyssey

Rusty’s life crystallized around Rocky’s diagnosis with craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, a rare disorder that caused abnormal bone growth in the skull. Doctors issued projections measured in months and early childhood; Rusty answered by organizing life in days well-lived. Classrooms were negotiated. Doctors were challenged. Owning joy, not merely enduring time, became the household policy.

Rocky’s world had the ordinary teenage fixtures—humor, friends, even travel—braided to ceaseless clinical visits. Rusty acted as navigator: interpreter at appointments, bodyguard at school, armchair philosopher at night. The boy lived to 16, nearly doubling early expectations. His death on October 4, 1978, did not end the work; Rusty supported the decision to donate his body to medical research at UCLA, converting grief into a small but enduring contribution for future patients.

The film that changed everything

In 1985, Mask carried the family’s story to an international audience. Cher portrayed Rusty with volcanic tenderness—uncompromising, protective, and unwilling to surrender humor or hope. The film is not a documentary; dramatization is part of its architecture. But it captured a truth Rusty radiated: defiance could be a kind of love. The fame that followed was cluttered—interviews, retrospectives, and the inevitable mix of admiration and misreading. Rusty accepted the attention with her usual mix of candor and grit, mindful that the story’s center was a kid who liked to make people laugh.

The family at the center

Rusty’s family relationships were shaped by both intimacy and turbulence. An older son, Joshua, appears in family accounts as Rocky’s half-brother. Roy Dennis, the man often listed as Rocky’s father, floats in and out of the public record—another reminder that family, in Rusty’s world, was always more verb than noun: built, maintained, sometimes broken, often repaired.

Family members at a glance

Later years: scrapes with the law, persistent resilience

Decades after Rocky’s death, Rusty’s name surfaced in court blotters—drug-related charges, probation issues, and a difficult stretch that included custody of her own choices. The woman who once confronted specialists now faced judges. Even then, accounts emphasize her refusal to surrender the core parts of herself: the stubborn independence, the dry humor, the love of the road.

On October 14, 2006, a crash on a three-wheeled motorcycle led to injuries that spiraled into complications. She died less than a month later, on November 11, at age 70. For those who knew her—friends, bikers, nurses, neighbors—Rusty’s passing felt like a sudden silence after a long, loud song.

Timeline of key moments

What made her unforgettable

Rusty’s legacy does not rest only on parenthood in extremis. It lives in her philosophy of ordinary mercy: keep the jokes coming, keep the doctors honest, keep the door open for friends, and keep your own counsel when the world starts talking over you. She was a working-class woman who met a rare disease with plain courage and fierce love—no saint, just human in a high, clear register.

The family story keeps echoing. Mask remains a touchstone for viewers who see a blueprint for dignity amid adversity. Rocky’s short life continues to be taught and shared, a reminder that the arithmetic of years counts less than the weight of the days inside them. And Rusty—restless, profane, loyal—still rides through the public imagination on a low, steady rumble.

FAQ

Who was Florence Tullis?

She was the Southern California mother of Roy L. “Rocky” Dennis, whose life inspired the 1985 film Mask.

Why was she called “Rusty”?

“Rusty” was her nickname, widely used by friends, family, and the media.

What condition did her son Rocky have?

Rocky had craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, a rare disorder causing excessive bone growth in the skull.

How old was Rocky when he died?

He was 16, passing away on October 4, 1978.

Did Mask accurately portray her life?

The film is dramatized but captures Rusty’s fierce advocacy and personality with broad fidelity.

Who were her children?

Two sons appear in public records and profiles: Joshua (the elder half-brother) and Roy L. “Rocky” Dennis.

Who was Rocky’s father?

Roy Dennis is commonly listed as Rocky’s father in public accounts.

What happened to Florence Tullis later in life?

She encountered drug-related legal troubles in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

How did she die?

She died from complications of an infection following an October 2006 motorcycle accident.

Why does she appear under different surnames?

Over the years, records and memorials list her under Dennis, Mason, and Tullis, reflecting life changes and public references.