Gary A. Cullen
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"Pick up a couple new lungs." That was his typical good-humored response when asked if there was anything special he wanted from the store. Upbeat to the end, even with his late-stage COPD, Gary Cullen passed away peacefully, at home in Spring Green, on March 12. Born and raised in Janesville, he was a 1964 graduate of Janesville Senior High School. In 1969 he graduated General Motors Institute (Flint, MI) with a degree in Industrial Engineering and began a 30 year career with GM, almost entirely at the Janesville WI plant. Along the way he picked up an MBA from UW-Whitewater. He retired GM in 1995 as a Production Superintendent, but immediately started a second 6 year career as a small business owner of Spring Printing in Spring Green, WI, along with his wife Nancy. He hated hospitals, people who took themselves too seriously, funerals, and most cooked vegetables, particularly beets, He loved woodworking, pizza, classic westerns, entertaining, cheap light beer, his fraternity brothers from GMI, having people laugh and smile, building things, reading historical fiction, golfing with little regard to keeping score, and especially his family, his (mostly) patient wife, and his brilliant witty sons. Always with a ready smile, he simply loved life to the end. He is survived by his wife, Nancy; sons, Jason and Ryan Cullen and their mother, Barbara Cullen (Janesville); siblings, Carole Kretschman (Madison), Suzy (Mike) Lawton (Janesville), Michael (Peg) Cullen (Madison), and Tricia Cullen (Janesville). Preceding him in death were his parents, Gail & Mary Cullen and his son, Brent Cullen. A gathering in Gary's honor will be arranged in early summer. Online condolences available at www.staffordfuneralhomes.com. The Richardson-Stafford Funeral Home in Spring Green is assisting the family with the arrangements.