Thomas G. “Tom” Cullen, age 61 of Benton, WI passed away Tuesday, October 18, 2022. He died peacefully at home after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Born in Darlington, Wi on December 13, 1960, he was the youngest of five children to James “Jimmy” and Georgina (Olson) Cullen.
Tom lived in the area all of his life. He attended Gratiot Grade School and then graduated from Black Hawk High School in South Wayne, WI with the class of 1980. In school, he never took anything too seriously, was a bit of a jokester, and lived to make people laugh. In those days when not working at McDonald’s in Monroe, he would be hanging out with his friends, listening to music, hunting, or fishing. Tom also enjoyed running track all through high school and was a big fan of all things pertaining to “Black Hawk” – especially when it came to sports – following his nieces and nephews’ games, tournaments, and their various school events. He was thrilled to see two of them win at state football and basketball.
After graduation, Tom attended UW-Whitewater for 2 years before deciding on a career closer to home in cheesemaking, having worked at a few local factories in Juda, WI and Belmont, WI. He was proud to have received his cheesemaking license from the state of Wisconsin. Due to his cancer diagnosis, he recently retired from White Hill Cheese in Shullsburg, WI.
Tom was also a good cook, as his health allowed, he did enjoy gardening and using his own fresh vegetables. A good day was feeding the birds and working in his flower and vegetable garden. Tom loved to keep up with his family and friends, always meeting for a family brunch at the Country Club in rural Darlington or at Lawrence’s Pub in Benton as those were his favorite places to eat.
Tom is survived by his sisters: Mary Kay (Jack) Luedtke of Dubuque, IA, Kathy (Greg) Zuberbuhler of Darlington, and Jayne (Shawn) Triem of South Wayne; his brother: Steve (Ann) Cullen of Atlanta, GA; an uncle: Elton (Sandy) Olson of Belvidere, IL; many wonderful nieces, nephews, cousins, and their children. He was preceded in death by his parents: Georgina and James Cullen; and a special friend: Robert “Bob” McGlynn who always looked out for him over the years.
A memorial service will be held Thursday, October 27, 2022 at 11:00 A.M. at Erickson Funeral Home (508 Main St., Darlington) with Pastor Scott Cernek of Peace Church in Christ in Browntown, WI officiating. Burial will be in West Wiota Cemetery in rural Gratiot. A visitation will be held Wednesday, October 26, 2022 from 4:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. at Erickson Funeral Home in Darlington. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.ericksonfuneralhome.com.
For those who prefer, a memorial fund has been established in Tom’s name.
The family would also like to offer a special thank you to Dr. LePeak, the nurses and staff at Upland Hills Hospital in Dodgeville, WI for their kindness and excellent care of Tom.
Tom was an avid sports fan of the Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin Badgers, Milwaukee Brewers, and even the Chicago Cubs. The family asks that all those who attend services for Tom wear casual sports attire in honor of that.
