Philip Cullen

Philip James Cullen was born in Mt. Etna, Iowa, November 12, 1935, the son of Christina (Miller) Cullen and Bernard Francis Cullen. He graduated from Wiota High School in 1954. He attended Northwest Missouri State University.

In August of 1957, he went to Liberia, West Africa, to work on road construction, returning home in April 1959. He returned to Liberia in November of 1960 and returned home in 1962. While there, he was foreman of a crew. He also worked on the dock.

On May 2, 1959, he was united in marriage to Marian Ruth Bell at St. Joseph Church in Wiota. To this marriage two sons were born, Michael Brett and Kevin Mitchell Cullen.

Phil and Ruth lived in Atlantic for a time and moved to the Cullen farm in 1963 and have lived there 52 years.

Phil loved and protected his family. He was an optimist and gave the gift of laughter to others. He loved people. He loved a good joke; loved to bet on anything. His family meant everything to him. He wanted to, and did, live on the top of a hill so he could see the sunset. He loved the early morning light and the smell of dirt in the spring. He liked playing golf, biking, dancing, the coffee group and cheering on his Yankees and Iowa State. He enjoyed traveling, especially Ireland and winters in Arizona.

He helped others quietly, expecting nothing in return. He loved his faith, trusting God in all things.

He was a member of the Elks Club, Crestwood Hills Golf Course in Anita and the Anita Bicycling Seniors.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Bernard and Christina Cullen; his sisters, Theresa Cullen and Barbara Matteson; his brothers, Cyril and Bernard Cullen.

Surviving Philip is his wife, Ruth; his sons, Michael (Tammy) Cullen of Atlantic, IA, and "Mitch" Cullen of Wiota, IA; his sister, Rita Droege of Anchorage, AK; his grandchildren, Chris (Nicole) Cullen and Kylie (Chris) Schmitz; his great-grandchildren, Alexa Jones, Lincoln Cullen and Hudson Schmitz; and several nieces and nephews.

Philip passed away on March 26, 2015, in Gold Canyon, Arizona.

Visitation with family will be from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. with a prayer service by the family at 5:00 p.m., Friday, April 10, 2015, at Hockenberry Family Care Funeral Home in Atlantic, Iowa.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 11, 2015, at SS Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Atlantic, Iowa. A luncheon will be held in the church parish hall following the memorial service.

A private family burial will be held in the SS Peter & Paul Catholic Cemetery in Atlantic.

The family prefers memorials to the FFA or Cass County Fairgrounds in lieu of flowers.