Robert William Culmer's Obituary
Robert William Culmer, born October 3, 1923 passed away October 19, 2014 and now knows the answer to the big questions. He is survived by his three sisters and a brother; his wife of 67 years, Rose Marie; two children, Denise Sims and Robert T Culmer and wife, Marilyn; 4 grandchildren, Blake Sims, Allyson Sims, Kesha Cherry and husband, Mark, and Shonda Capritta; 3 great-grandchildren and a great-great grandchild. Born in Houston, Texas he came of age during the Great Depression in a large family, ultimately having 9 brothers and sisters. The circumstances of his youth encouraged a drive and self-reliance which would serve him well later in life. In the Second World War he was originally trained as a glider pilot and later was a B17 pilot, based in England with the 447th Bomb Group. Although decorated and wounded he was never comfortable with the word “hero” in reference to his service. Typical of many members of his generation, “it was a job that needed to be done and I did my part”. After the war he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Houston. He spent most of his career in sales; first with Lilly Tulip, later with Malt-a-Plenty and then with Pharmaseal where they pioneered the introduction of disposable syringes and other single use medical supplies. He left direct sales to become General Manager of the E. H. McClure Co., a wholesaler of medical and surgical supplies, becoming a vice President of its parent company, Southwestern Drug before retiring. After his retirement he enjoyed regular duplicate bridge games with friends, solving crossword puzzles, reading the latest political intrigue novels and spending time with his family. His wit, insight and humor will be missed by all who knew him. The funeral services for Robert will be held at 12:30 PM on Thursday October 23, 2014 in The Wildwood Chapel at Restland Funeral Home, with visitation one hour prior. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, at Restland Road, Dallas, TX 75238. In lieu of flowers donations to Operation Kindness or the SPCA would be appreciated.
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