R.E. MCCULLEN
March 2, 1922-Feb. 5, 2016
R.E. McCullen, 93, 873 Pineview Cemetery Road, Seven Springs, passed away Friday, Feb. 5, 2016.
A local farmer, he was born March 2, 1922, in the Dobbersville community of Wayne County, N.C. He was the youngest of seven children of Erastus and Venvelia McCullen.
Mr. McCullen attended Piney Grove School, and joined the United States Army after graduation.
Known locally for his gardening and cooking abilities, he was quick to share either his garden bounty or delicious food with those in his community.
He had been a longtime member of Rones Chapel United Methodist Church near Mount Olive. Mr. McCullen was the "heart and soul" of Rones Chapel Church, serving as Sunday school superintendent, chairman of the finance committee, chairman and member of the administrative board, pastor-parish relations committee and a trustee. He loved his church family.
Being quite active in his community at local and state levels, past and present organizations include Boy Scouts, Wayne County Livestock Development Association, Mount Olive Band Boosters, Southern Wayne Future Farmers of America, Wayne County Farm Bureau board of directors and Mount Olive Veterans Steering Committee.
Mr. McCullen and his late wife, Julia, were both inducted into the Wayne County Agricultural Hall of Fame in November 2015 as recognition of their lifelong devotion to farming and agri-business interests.
He took great pride while serving on the steering committee for the Mount Olive Veterans Memorial since its inception. He promoted building the memorial site, which is a tribute to all the veterans who have served in the military from the greater Mount Olive community.
He helped to organize the campaign, design the memorial, solicit funds from donors and identify the veterans whose names were etched into the granite memorial. The Mount Olive Veterans Memorial was dedicated on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2014, and is an enduring tribute to the veterans who lost their lives while serving their country.
He was a first sergeant in the First Cavalry Infantry Division. He was shipped out of California to Brisbane, Australia, on a ship that was captured from the Germans.
The trip took 36 days, while the soldiers slept in bunk beds stacked six high with barely enough room to turn over.
When they reached shore, their task each day was to march six miles or more down the beaches of Australia, move to other sites on a train by night and march six miles down another beach the next day. This was a strategy to make the Japanese think that the American Army appear larger.
His division then assisted with the recovery of enemy territory in New Guinea, the Philippines and Japan, taking over Manila and Tokyo. He was in Tokyo 20 days before the World War II peace treaty was signed.
He continued to proudly wear his First Cavalry uniform every year at Veteran's Day celebrations.
Mr. McCullen was a popular speaker about his service in World War II at schools, churches and community agencies and clubs.
He served three years from 1942 to 1945. He was still able to wear his uniform from the war and took great pride in dressing in his uniform and talking about his experiences in the 1st Division 12 Cavalry Regiment during which time he was actually trained to ride a horse and patrolled the Mexican Border before being sent to Australia and the Philippine Islands.
He participated in intense jungle warfare as a staff sergeant. He was in charge of 48 men, who manned 81 millimeter mortar weapons. Six quads of eight men each provided coverage for the foot solders as they crossed the jungle terrain and took each island one by one from the Japanese.
He spent more than 400 days in the outdoor elements, never sleeping inside a building. R.E. returned home from the military in 1945, and began his farming operation in Dobbersville.
He is survived by a son, Randy Lee McCullen and wife, Sandra Raiford McCullen, of Dudley; two grandchildren, Amanda M. Warren and husband, Brandon, of Clinton and Chandler McCullen and wife, Brandi, of Seven Springs; eight great-grandchildren, Cullen Blake Warren, John Paul McCullen, Brady Sutton Warren, R.E. Lee McCullen, Jessie Pearl McCullen, Caroline Estelle Warren, Robert Earl McCullen and Sidney Lynn McCullen; a special lady friend, Christine Kornegay of Mount Olive, along with her family; a special friend, Beverly Williams of Mount Olive, along with her son, Anthony; one brother-in-law, Claude "Shorty" Waters of Charlotte; one sister-in-law, Chris Dildy of Littleton; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Mr. McCullen was preceded in death by his wife, Julia Mae Dildy McCullen; parents, Erastus and Venvelia McCullen; a daughter, Millicent Joy McCullen; two brothers, Marion Faison McCullen and Asher McCullen; and four sisters, Ada Bell M. Best, Annie Lou M. Jackson, Gladys Mae M. Jernigan and Dixie Ruth McCullen.
Mr. R.E.'s life will be remembered Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 11 a.m. in a service to be held at Tyndall Funeral Home. Officiating will be the Rev. Mike Whatley, the Rev. Valerie Hardison and the Rev. Richard Hill. Immediately following this service, his remains will be laid to rest beside his late wife, Julia, in Pineview Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at Tyndall Funeral Home from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8, and at other times, friends and family are welcome to the R.E. McCullen residence.
The McCullen family would like to extend a special thanks to the Rones Chapel United Methodist Church family, the Southern Belle family, the McDonald's breakfast group and Rita's Place supper group for their love, care and support of Mr. McCullen.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Rones Chapel United Methodist Church, 138 Garner Chapel Road, Mount Olive, N.C., or the Mount Olive Veterans Memorial, Town of Mount Olive, P.O. Box 939, Mount Olive, N.C.
A Tyndall service.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on February 7, 2016 12:00 PM