Obituary of Charles Henry Cullom

Funeral Services for Charles Henry “Chuck” Cullom of Winfield, MO will be at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home near Winfield. Burial will be in New Salme Cemetery near Winfield. Charles Henry “Chuck” Cullom, 94, left this world on April 4, 2025. He was born May 13, 1930 in Jonesburg, MO the son of William Taft Cullom and Elva (Hollander) Pierce. Chuck grew up in the St. Charles area and from the start, he loved the outdoors. Throughout his life, Chuck enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping and walking dogs in the hills and woods of eastern Missouri and in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Chuck looked forward to deer season every year, but he especially loved hunting turkeys. Chuck enjoyed his hobbies and was generous with his time for family and friends while maintaining a strong work ethic that he developed growing up during the Great Depression and through World War II. As a young teen during the war, Chuck held a job in which he grew strength, confidence and a clearer understanding of the world around him. He rode his bike up and down the hills of St. Charles, delivering telegrams to homes throughout the community. At 19, he went into the U.S. Air Force. He was an expert marksman, taking pride in the medals he earned for accurate shooting. Chuck’s contribution to the nation’s defense also included work in his career with McDonnell Douglas, what would become Boeing. He wired guiding systems for harpoon missiles among jobs with the company in which he used his strong hands and sharp mind to earn respect and even adoration from many he worked alongside. Chuck earned his full retirement before the age of 60. He spent more than three decades of “Saturdays” with his loving wife, Joy, the one who stuck by Chuck’s side in a marriage that went strong for over 47 years. Chuck and Joy enjoyed traveling and spending time together at home, surrounded by a serene landscape on their land outside Winfield, complete with the famous creek that runs just yards from their house. Chuck was a master storyteller and enjoyed reliving memories from his childhood and early adult years with visiting friends and family members. He especially enjoyed time with grandchildren: Amy Heilman, Ben McDaniel, Mandi Perkins, Andrew Hurt, R.J. Joplin, Kristopher Joplin, Alex Joplin, Matthew Joplin and Nicholas Joplin. While tales from his military service and mountain camping trips could fill a volume of novels, many of Chuck’s happiest days were the days he spent at home with Joy. The man with a larger than life personality who was loved by so many is preceded in death by his father, William; his mother, Elva and her husband, Ralph Pierce; his brother, Bob Kampmann; three infant brothers, and numerous other family members and friends. Chuck is survived by his wife, Joy; daughter, Hope McDaniel and her husband, Steve; son, Charles Cullom, Jr. and his wife, Jane; daughter, Lilian Small and her husband, Ron; son, Russell Joplin and his wife, Yovonda; grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews, extended relatives and friends. Visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m. until time of the Service at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home near Winfield. Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association in care of Carter-Ricks Funeral Home, 3838 East Highway 47, P.O. Box 253, Winfield, MO 63389.