Ernest Walter Culey

Ernest Walter Culey, 79, a resident of Cleveland, passed away Sunday, April 6, 2008 in a local hospital. He was a member of Eastside Church of Christ. He loved his God, his family and woodworking. He was very active in World Bible School Missions sending Bible studies and materials to more than 1500 individuals in countries where the gospel is not readily available. He served as a Merchant Marine from September 1944 until he joined the Navy. Mr. Culey was a retired veteran of the United States Navy where he served from May 1950 to December 1971 and received the Rank CWO W2 (Chief Warrant Officer) in 1969. He was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War and received the Navy Commendation Medal. He was an engineer with Hartford Steam Boiler and was also employed with Traveler?s Insurance before his retirement in 1984. He was preceded in death by his parents, James Benson Culey of Ireland and later of New York and Elsie Komlosy Culey of New York and his first wife, Bonnie Jean Kitchen Culey. He is survived by his wife, Judy Maye Randolph Eberly Culey of Cleveland; children: Erna Fella (Eric) of McDonald, Vickie Smith (Ken) of Cleveland, Karen Helton (Ralph) of Farragut, Martha Griffith (Rob), James Culey and Lydia Sandberg (Al) all of Cleveland; 9 grandchildren: Erin Fella, Evan Fella, Ryan Kertesz, Shawn Kertesz, Amelia Smith, Amy Helton, Allicia Helton, Vance Griffith and Jennifer Griffith; 6 great grandchildren; brother, Robert Culey (Ruthie) of Deland, FL; special in-laws: Charles and Easter Frady of Cleveland and Max and Wanda Pelley of Charleston. Funeral services will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday at Eastside Church of Christ with Ministers Jeff Archey and Bill Maynard officiating. Interment will follow in Hilcrest Memorial Gardens with military honors. Charles Frady, 1st Sergeant David Pelley, Terry McDougal, Eric Fella, Ralph Helton and Franklin Kyle will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be the Elders and Deacons of Eastside Church of Christ and grandsons. His family will receive friends from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Ralph Buckner Funeral Home and from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Memorials may be made to Eastside Church of Christ World Missions, 252 Wildwood Ave. SE, Cleveland, TN 37311.