John Culp
Obituary
John Henry Culp, 93, died Saturday
(Jan. 27, 2018) at Schowalter Villa in Hesston. He was born on March
22, 1924, to E.I. (Emanuel) and Cora (Smucker) Culp in Tiskilwa,
Illinois. He was the youngest of four children.
John married the love of his life, Mary
Ellen Miller, on March 2, 1947, in Millersburg, Indiana. They moved
to Hesston in 1948. They had four children. John got a job in the new
Hesston Manufacturing Company, later the Hesston Corporation. His
employee number was "4" and he worked there for 42 years.
By the time he retired, he was Engineering Office Manager and
Drafting Supervisor.
He was a member of Hesston Mennonite
Church, where he helped establish and run the Boy's Club. John was
Camp Coordinator and Advocate of the Kansas Mennonite Churches for
Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp near Divide, Colorado. He was a Hesston
volunteer fire fighter and an accomplished photographer. He was a
past president of the Central Kansas Manufacturing Association.
Some of John's great enjoyments were
planning, traveling and camping through 47 states, including Alaska;
first as a family and then as a couple, hiking wherever there was a
trail. Major hikes included summiting Pikes Peak in Colorado, parts
of the Appalachian Trail and the Grand Canyon rim to rim. John
enjoyed working in his workshop designing, building and improving
items for the house and shop.
He is survived by his wife; son, David
(Jennifer) Culp of Orange County, California; daughters, Susan (Don)
Gering of Hesston and Anita Culp of Bel Aire; son, Paul (Mary) Culp
of Hesston; and granddaughters, Shannon Gering of Norman, Oklahoma,
and Alexandrea (Ernie) Mullenax of Tehachapi, California.
He was preceded in death by his
parents; brothers, Millard and Lester Culp; and sister, Maurine Hess.
Memorial service will be held at 3 p.m.
on Feb. 10, 2018, at the Schowalter Villa chapel at 200 W. Cedar
Street in Hesston. Visitation will be at 2 p.m. and after the
service, when refreshments will be served. A private burial will be
at a later date in East Lawn Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be
made to Kansas Mennonite Disaster Service in care of Hesston
Mennonite Church and to Schowalter Villa Good Samaritan Fund in care
of Miller-Ott Funeral Home, Hesston.
