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Photo of Dr. A. R. "Doc" Cullen

Dr. A. R. "Doc" Cullen

2/17/1927 - 11/3/2005


Obituary


Dr. A. R. "Doc" Cullen, 78, of Crystal Lake passed away Thursday, November 3, 2005 at the Hancock County Memorial Hospital in Britt.

Dr. A. R. Cullen was born in Boone County, Iowa on February 17, 1927 to Walter and Margaret (Thompson) Cullen who emigrated from Scotland in the early 1900s.  He was the youngest of five children, and he was particularly proud of his Scottish ancestry.

He attended Luther High School in Boone, and after graduation, served in the Navy near the end of WWII.  In 1951 he graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State College in Ames, Iowa.  He remained an avid Cyclone fan for all of his life and enjoyed enlightening his Hawkeye friends on the error of their ways.

While working in the food service at Iowa State, he met his bride Joan Poland.  They were married in July of 1946 at the United Methodist Church in Luther, Iowa.  From this marriage came four children, David, Lynn, Dan and Eric, who filled Doc's life with pleasure and pride.

Doc practiced veterinary medicine in Boone and Forest City before establishing his own practice in Crystal Lake, Iowa in 1955.  In 1978 he retired from veterinary medicine and began his life as a farmer.  Both of these professions gave him immense fulfillment and satisfaction.

During his life Doc was Past Master of the Masonic Truth Lodge No. 213 in Forest City, President and long time member of the Woden-Crystal Lake School Board and actively involved in forming the Crystal Lake Development Corporation.

Doc enjoyed his family, coffee with friends, reading, woodworking and carving, fishing and crossword puzzles.  He spent hours keeping his shop and tools tidy and in good repair.

He is survived by Jo, his wife, partner and best friend; his brother, Walter Cullen and his wife Marian of Alexandria, Virginia; four children: David Cullen and his wife Sue of Bozeman, Montana; Lynn Cullen of Atascadero, California; Dan Cullen and his wife Mary Hardin of Mason City, Iowa; and Eric Cullen of Des Moines, Iowa.

Doc is also survived by his beloved grandchildren: Chelsey and Hailey Cullen; Michael Hardin and his wife Kirsten; Christian Squier and her husband Justin; Maggie Seaburg; and his new great-granddaughter Sidney Grace.

He is also survived by his beloved nieces Teresa Honnold, Margaret Sutherland, and Janet Honnold and beloved nephew Steve Cullen.

He was preceded in death by his parents: Walter and Margaret Cullen; his brother Gilbert Cullen; his sisters: Janet Gunton and Mary Honnold; his nephew, Phillip Larson.

Doc leaves behind many dear friends and loving family members who will mourn his passing.