John Gary Culp
1942 - 2021
John Gary Culp was born February 26,
1942 and passed peacefully at Kansas Christian Home in Newton Kansas
on January 31, 2021. He was preceded in death by his father John
Curtis Culp and his mother Elizabeth Ann (Hover) Culp. He is survived
by his wife of 57 years, Barbara Culp (Crawford). This union was
blessed with four children, Wayne Culp of Zenda, Ks, Karen Sturchio
(Bobby) of Wichita, Ks, Betty Cope of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, and Amy
Culp of Newton, Ks. He was the eldest of 4 children and is also
survived by his sisters Becky Laubmeier of Perkasie PA, Ann Wood of
Kenton Ohio, and Holly Alloway (Dan) of Winston Salem NC. He was a
grandfather to Nathan Sturchio, Kyla Achenbach (Sturchio), Dani Rau
(Culp), Ryan Cope, Mitchell Sturchio, Dalton Cope, Larissa Hansard
(Rucker), Amber Hawkins (Rucker), Seth Rucker, Megan Hoyt (Rucker),
Abbie Trickel and 12 great-grandchildren.
He was a man full of wanderlust. It is
what brought him to his career as a truck driver. His CB handle was
The Kansas Rebel. Recently, he said would have never made it as a
truck driver in these modern times… because the logbooks were too
accurate. Nathan shared that he used his "smart pencil"
back in the day to make sure all of his I's were dotted and t's were
crossed. He often shared how he was one step ahead of the state
troopers or the weigh stations. He was proud of his profession and
won several safety rings. He was often asked to take the difficult
loads as he was recognized as a truly skilled professional.
Driving truck came with a nation-wide
network of friends, each with their own story to tell. With every
truck stop he visited a good friend, much like sharing iced tea on a
breezy summer day. When his health took him off of the road, he
shared his adventures with family and friends and anyone who would
take the time to listen.
As a young man, his wanderlust
manifested itself through fast cars and drag races. He was always
working on a car. He shared several stories of how his creative
solutions to car repairs saved him from walking many miles. Of
course, except for the times that it didn't, and stories of those
times made him smile just as much. In the 1970's, he earned a degree
in auto mechanics. Cars were always a first love for him. He would
talk about fast cars, races, and race car drivers if he wasn't
talking about his adventures on the road. He carried that love to his
final days as faithful fan of NASCAR.
He was fortunate to grow up in small
town America where the village really did raise the children. He
loved his family. His sisters were often convinced to join him in one
shenanigan or another that often ended with a life lesson applied. He
was a cherished son and grandson. He spoke often of his grandparents
and kept their pictures close to him until his final day. Their lives
and love for him were among his most cherished memories.
John met his wife, Barbara at a 4-H
baseball game. He noticed Barbara again at the 4-H dance and offered
to drive her home. They started dating and were married on July 20,
1963.
He was not traditional as a family man.
Life could be hard and health was not always good. During those
times, he found his place as one of the originals Foodies. His kids
would come home to home baked bread and fresh vegetables. He was
known for his Mexican food and infamous for his rabbit-ala-orange.
After his retirement, he pursued
hobbies to keep busy and to continue his lifelong learning. One of
the more memorable was hydroponics. He created a garden of tomato
plants in his basement and hanging gardens for berries on his fence
line. His granddaughter, Larissa was fascinated watching him garden.
When the time came, he bequeathed the hydroponic equipment to his
eldest grandson with the condition that he would never grow anything
inappropriate as his grandson lived in Colorado.
John was a blessing to his
grandchildren in many ways. He was a steady presence in their lives.
He was a man of stature and used that stature to make his grandkids
feel safe and loved. He shepherded his grandkids through the trials
of life and the hurdles young ones go through in these modern times.
His grandkids were able to tap into his silly side too; a gentle
teasing, a silly hat, and a host of "dad" jokes and sayings
will be memories that will live forever.
His granddaughter, Megan described him
as a "big macho man" that her four-year-old self could
force him to go back into the kitchen to turn her peanut butter and
jelly sandwich over so that it was made the "right" way.
You might say he was wrapped around her finger. The grandkids had
that effect on him.
He was a man of strong faith. As a
child he attended the Methodist church. He raised his family in the
Christian Church. He returned to his Methodist roots after
retirement. As his eyesight failed him, he would be found listening
to religious programs daily. He was recently asked by his eldest
daughter what his favorite bible verse was, and he replied,
"Ephesians 6 – children obey your parents". We may never
know if that was his sense of humor or his faith talking. Of course,
that chapter also discusses putting on the full armor of God. He
worked on this every day.
A memorial service will be 4:00 p.m.
Friday February 5, 2021 at Petersen Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Dr.
Diana Leaf presiding. Social distancing and mask protocols will be
asked of attendees.
Memorial may be made to Kansas
Christian Home in care of Petersen Funeral Home 215 North Main
Newton, Kansas 67114.
