Robert E. Cully

Robert E. Cully, age 94 of Wayne, passed peacefully into God’s eternal loving presence on Monday, February 14, 2022. He was comforted by the company of loving family at the time of his passing.

Bob was the second of James and Ruth (Oyler) Cully’s five children. He was born in Orange, raised in Cedar Grove and he attended Bloomfield High School. After graduating, work was scarce but, through hard work and determination, Bob landed a job as a screen printer in the fabric industry with a company called Stone Henge Print in Cedar Grove. Gifted with a good eye for color and excellent mechanical skills, he excelled in his work and, during his twenty-five years with the company, his most famous project was supplying a flag that went to the moon. Bob’s career journey eventually lead to employment at Marcal Paper in Paterson where he remained until retirement in the late 1980’s.

Bob and his wife Margaret (nee Kypers) met in Little Falls and married at the Little Falls United Methodist Church on Thursday, April 14, 1955. After a honeymoon to Niagara Falls, they began their life as husband and wife in an apartment in Little Falls. In 1959, just in time for Christmas that year, they moved into their new home in the Lions Head Lake section of Wayne. Every Christmas since then was celebrated in that same house as Bob and Margaret spent the last sixty-two years there. They loved living there and it was a great neighborhood to raise their four daughters.

Around the house, Bob was always tinkering with something. Give him two paper clips and a rubber band and he could fix anything. He was self-taught and there was no challenge too great. He tackled large projects like fixing his foundation and rebuilding his deck and he didn’t shy away from plumbing or electrical work either. If Bob’ cars needed mechanical work, he was up for the task and, if he couldn’t purchase the parts sometimes he’d just make his own.

Bob was a good soul who derived genuine joy from helping others. Even as recently as this past fall when he was in his nineties, he just couldn’t look out the window and watch his daughter rake leaves. He put on his jacket and boots and went out and helped her! And when the leaves were cleaned up, he proceeded to help her cut down some bushes, pull out the stumps and fill in the holes. Bob willingness to help extended also to his neighbors. He was the go-to guy on the street and was glad to be of service in any capacity. Of course, his favorite store was, you guessed it – Home Depot! When he was at Home Depot, he was like a kid in a candy store and he could spend hours in that place just looking around. His family loved it because it made coming up with a Father’s Day, birthday and Christmas gift idea a breeze…..just give Bob a Home Depot gift card.    

Coupled with his “Mr Fix It” abilities was Bob’s friendly, outgoing, extroverted personality. He made friends wherever he went. He was a master of the art of striking up a spontaneous conversation in the grocery store and, in his neighborhood, it was just another reason why everyone knew him. He loved barbeques and hosting, so the Cully house became party central where everyone in the neighborhood would gather almost every summer Saturday afternoon. The pool was always open and there was plenty of delicious food cooking on the grill. Bob enjoyed teaching his own daughters how to swim and many of their neighborhood friends too.

Bob was always up to something. He truly loved the extra time that retirement afforded and one of his favorite quality-time activities was watching and hanging out with his grandchildren. He loved deer hunting with his younger brother Ace and his nephews. Most hunting was done at Ace’s mother-in-law’s farm in Pennsylvania where the hunting was great! The fridge was always full of fresh venison. Having been raised on a farm himself, even when he was in his eighty’s he and Ace would hunt on the farm and then Bob would jump on the tractor and till the fields. To him that was just a reminiscent playtime.  

Whether taking a cruise to Bermuda with Margaret for their twenty-fifth anniversary, or to the Bahamas with Margaret and his daughters, or jumping in the car for a family trip to Eleanor Village in Ormand Beach, Florida and St. Pete’s Beach in Florida for a stay at The Trade Winds, Bob loved to travel. He and Margaret also took a cruise to Aruba, motorcycle trips with friends and neighbors, and trips to California and Las Vegas with Margaret’s nephew and wife Bill and Denise Hopper.

Bob’s family is grateful for the long, rich life he was blessed with. His departure from this life definitely leaves an empty space in their hearts but they find encouragement in recalling wonderful memories of a great husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle. Most importantly, they know that Bob knew the Lord and that he’s ok and that, by God’s saving grace, they will see him again someday.

Bob was the beloved husband of Margaret, blessed in marriage for almost 67 years. He was the most loving father of his four daughters: Laurie Schindler of North Haledon, Susan Cully of Glenwood, Deborah Cully of Wayne, and Lisa and husband Charles DiPietro of Wayne; cherished grandfather of: Tracey, Jessica and husband Michael, Brandon, Brian, Kristen, Rachel, and Daniel; dearest brother of: Horace “Ace” Cully of Cedar Knowles; and dear uncle of numerous nieces and nephews. Bob was predeceased by his sisters: Frances Hawkins and Eleanor Carner, and by his brother Richard Cully.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Bob’s name are asked to consider St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105-9959 (www.stjude.org).