James Robert ("Bob") McCullough's Obituary
James Robert (“Bob”) McCullough, who was born on February 7, 1941, passed away at the age of 80 on December 7, 2021.
Bob was born in Ackerman, Mississippi to Bernice Vance McCullough and Byrd Barnett McCullough. He had an older brother, Gordon Wesley McCullough. Bob’s dad passed away when he was a baby. Bernice took her two boys and moved to Memphis when Bob was a child. Bob was a proud graduate of Bruce Middle School, but an even more proud graduate of “THE” High School, Central High School. While at Central, Bob played football, but it was baseball that brought him the most joy and lifelong friendships. His 1958 Central baseball team won the State Championship with Bob playing catcher. We often heard of Bob’s teammates having back-to-back collisions at home plate with CBHS catcher and future pro baseball player Tim McCarver on their way to the state championship.
Based on his play during the championship run, Bob was offered a baseball scholarship to play at his beloved University of Tennessee-Knoxville. So, that fall, he arrived in Knoxville without a place to stay and very little money. Despite that, he managed to have a very successful college career as a UT Varsity baseball letterman, was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. He also could claim to have lived in Neyland Stadium. Most importantly, at Tennessee, he met his future wife of 59 years, Patricia Waller (“Patty”) McCullough. During their courtship, Bob would hitchhike back and forth from Knoxville to Murfreesboro to see Patty. (On a separate random note, Bob several times mentioned that in the early 1960s, during construction of I-40, he survived driving off of a ledge near the Tennessee River after the incomplete interstate stopped cold.)
Patty and Bob were married on September 29, 1962 in Murfreesboro, TN. Soon after, they moved to Elk City, Oklahoma, where Bob served in the United States Air Force. Their first son, James Robert (“Jim”) McCullough, Jr. was born in 1963. After his Honorable Discharge, Bob eventually began to work for IBM, where he later retired as a Senior Systems Engineer. Bob was incredibly proud of his work for “Big Blue,” and he and Patty made lifelong friends with his IBM co-workers. Bob was known to explain to his sons that their efforts, such as cutting the grass or weed eating, did not meet the high standards of the IBM way of doing things.
Bob and Patty had their 2nd son, Mike McCullough, in 1966, and their third son (rumor has it they wanted a girl), Scott McCullough, in 1969 while living on Dothan Road in a neighborhood of friends, with whom Bob and Patty have remained friends for 50+ years.
Throughout his life, Bob loved to travel. He loved to see new places. He loved to try new foods. He loved to examine work on all kinds of new construction projects (residential, commercial, bridges, you name it). He loved to be “Mr. Patty” for the CBHS Cheerleading squad for 20 years. However, above all, he loved his family and committed his whole life to taking care of his wife and three sons. While at IBM, Bob would often work late into the night at home, many, many times because he left work early to attend (if he wasn’t coaching) his sons’ games or other events. Bob DID NOT miss his sons’ events.
After his retirement from IBM, Bob enjoyed attending his 7 grandchildren’s events, from lacrosse to soccer to basketball to baseball to softball to ballet to school plays and performances. He was a constant presence and a true fan of his grandchildren’s, and he came to be known by, respected by, and liked by a whole new generation of parents who could clearly see how much Bob loved his family.
Bob is survived by his wife, Patty McCullough; three sons – Jim McCullough (Leanne), Mike McCullough (Mary), and Scott McCullough (Amy); his brother Gordon McCullough; and his 7 grandchildren – Matthew, Walker, Molly, Will, Macy, Olivia, and Jack.
The family will receive relatives and friends on Monday, December 13 at 12:00 p.m. with a funeral service at 1:00 p.m. all in the Riverside Chapel of Memorial Park Funeral Home. Interment to follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.
Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave, Memphis, TN, 38119. (901) 767-8930.
To view the webcasted service click the link below:
http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/64999
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