Cullum, Kurt A.

Kurt A. Cullum, 57, of Cedar Rapids, died at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010, following a five-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Services: 11 a.m. Friday at Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories by the Rev. David Grandon. A visitation will be held at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday.

Kurt was born on Feb. 3, 1953, in Bethesda, Md., to Dyke and Glendoris (Wiegman) Cullum. He married Cheryl Jones on Sept. 2, 1972, in Hazel Green, Wis. Kurt worked for 30 years with Reinhart Foodservice, with the last 14 of those as division president in Cedar Rapids. He loved spending time with, and cooking for family and friends. Everyone who knew him was aware of his passion for golf. He loved being on the course with his friends. He also had a love of travel and snowmobiling. He adored his grandson and new granddaughter. Kurt was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather.

Survivors include his bride of 37 years, Cheryl; children, April (Jason) Ripp of Lodi, Wis., and Jason Cullum and his special friend, Melissa Dean, of Dubuque; his grandchildren, Caden and Chloe Ripp; mother, Glendoris Rupp of Cuba City, Wis.; three sisters, Carole Cullum of San Francisco, Calif., Cheri (Eugene) Dumas of Janesville, Wis., and Linda (David) Bennett of Hazel Green, Wis.; a brother, Dyke Cullum of Bend, Ore.; four stepbrothers, Ron (Pat) Rupp of Tempe, Ariz., Dennis (Carol) Rupp of Sun Prairie, Wis., Bob (Rosanne) Rupp and Tom (Marcie) Rupp, all of Hazel Green; and stepsister, Meredith (Albert) Vogt of Hazel Green.

Also surviving are his mother-in-law, Dorothy Jones of Dubuque; nine sisters-in-law, Judy Kurt of Des Moines, Pamela Sloan of Indianola, Carolyn Suby of Pleasant Hill, Dorothy (Harold) Fuller, Holly (Dean) Nauman, and Tracy (Steve) Terry, all of Dubuque, Vickie (Timothy) Callahan of Cedar Rapids, Sharon (Jeff) Wischmeyer of LeRoy, Mich., Lisa (Mike) Miller of Rockford, Ill.; three brothers-in-law, Craig (Becky) Jones and Darren Jones, all of Dubuque, and Todd (Lori) Jones of Rockford, Ill.; and many nieces and nephews.

Kurt was preceded in death by his father, stepfather, grandparents, father-in-law, and four brothers-in-law, John Jones, Keith Jones, Dave Suby and Tom Sloan.

The family would like to give special thanks to Dr. Ghosh and his staff, St. Luke's Hospice, his nurses, Amber and Marilyn, and the staff at Hospice House of Mercy.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established.

A tribute or memory for the family may be left on the webpage at under obituaries.