His father, William George Edwin Pulleyblank, was a teacher of mathematics who later became a school vice-principal, and his mother, Ruth Pulleyblank, had also been a teacher.
Ayahnya, William George Edwin Pulleyblank, adalah seorang guru matematika yang kemudian menjadi seorang wakil kepala sekolah, dan ibunya, Ruth Pulleyblank, juga pernah menjadi seorang guru.