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Service:
To be held at a later date
Funeral home:
Fricke-Calvert-Schrader, Lincoln
Obituary
Kathleen McCullough passed away 24
October 2018 in Sykesville, Md at Copper Ridge
Nursing home. Raised in Newton, she was born to the
late Francis (Duffy) and Anna (Franke) McCullough.
Kathy is survived by her sister Roseanne (Tom) Judd,
five daughters Shawn, Bridget (Steve), Molly, Annie
(Al) Webster, Katie; six grandchildren Maggie
(Scott) Bourne, Joe Davidson, Anna and Emma Weaver,
Hannah and John Webster, and two great
grandchildren, Virginia and Bridget Bourne. A mass
and celebration will be held to honor her life in
Lincoln in December. Details are forthcoming.
Her life of 87 years was filled with family,
adventure, children, travel, friendships,
compassion, and activism. Spending her adult years
from 1957 to 2009 in Lincoln, she raised five
daughters, with John McCullough. She
enthusiastically campaigned, rallied, and organized
husband John’s judicial campaign in 1960 while also
caring for her young family. She was constantly
busy. In addition to her family life, she
passionately followed the Apollo moon race, taught
French to 2nd graders after school, held numerous
nighttime lectures to her 5 ‘captive’ daughters on
the constellations in the Lincoln College ball
field, authored the Hale-Bopp Herald (a monthly
newsletter on the famous 1997 comet visit), and led
a 4-H club. Kathy filled her home with family
friends and children for no-bridge bridge club,
weight loss club, skits for Ozark vacations,
Saturday night happy hours, Kentucky Derby parties,
and countless other children’s birthday parties and
events. Upon retirement she took full advantage of
the Elder Hostel trips going to the Apollo Space
Camp, Polar Bear Camp, and working on sailing ship
in the Puget Sound! She also successfully fought to
add girls’ sports to the high school, was elected to
the high school board of education, worked in the
Lincoln College Finance Department for 10 years and
her last job, where she served as the administrator
for 5 central Illinois counties with JTPA (Job
Training Placement Act) to find jobs for the
unemployed.
Becoming a foster parent at age 55, she provided a
home, friendship, parental guidance, and love to
Vietnamese boys through Catholic Relief Services.
Phuong, Hai, Tri, Binnie, Truyen, Thi (Kevin), Binh,
Hien, their eventual spouses and children were an
immense source of love and friendship in her later
years.
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Mom taught English, helped them achieve their
GED’s, found grants for college attendance, earned their
acceptance at trade schools, and found homes and
neighborhoods to settle down and raise their families in
America.
If any child needed help whether it was
driving somewhere or a financial or emotional crisis, Mom
was there. Phuong married Myhanh, also a foster child in
Lincoln and with daughter LeAnne they cared for mom in
retirement, taking her to church, to Carroll Catholic School
athletic games, preparing Sunday dinners, fixing household
issues and being her first caretaker in the Alzheimer’s
journey.
Another important person in mom’s
life is Pema Chosang, who was a pen pal from a
Tibetan camp in Southern India introduced through
the Christian Children’s Fund. Pema, age 10 and mom,
age 60 became fast friends 10,000 miles and cultures
away in 1991. Mom’s support to Pema included
completing nurse’s degree in India at age 19. There
was an eventual joyous meeting in with Pema’s move
to Colorado and a visit with mom in Lincoln, in
2006.
Kathy’s final years were spent in Copper Ridge
Nursing home near Bridget and Shawn, where she
became loved and cared for by staff, volunteers, and
other families. She communicated through twinkling
eyes, frowning faces, a tap on the backend, or a big
smile and nod.
She was courageous to the end, going on her own
terms, and leaving behind a world of thankful and
grateful friends. She was deeply loved and will be
greatly missed.
Donations may be given in her memory to:
Catholic Relief Services
https://www.crs.org/
or Logan County Humane Society
https://hslclincoln.org/
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