Robert M. Cullen, 81, passed away December 14, 2022, in Silver Spring, MD. The immediate cause was septic shock. He was predeceased by his parents Robert E. Cullen and Gertrude Cullen, and sisters Kathleen Salvati and Grace Mowczko. He is survived and dearly missed by his loving life partner Audrey Hong of Maryland; children John Cullen, Barb Cullen, and Christopher Cullen (Betsy) and five granddaughters Katherine, Caroline, Fiona, Isabel, and Bridget – all of Massachusetts; along with his siblings Dennis (Sheri) Cullen of NY, Rosemary (Dwight) Shelton of NH and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Bob was born in Springfield, MA, on April 9, 1941. At age 2, his family moved to Glens Falls, NY.
At a young age he began his passion with ham radios, learning about this hobby in Popular Mechanics and then joining the local ham group. When he was 12, Bob, accompanied by his father, took a 3 day trip to NYC, staying at the Waldorf Astoria, so Bob could take the FCC exam for a ham radio license novice, which included knowing the Morse Code. Bob was the youngest applicant to take the exam …. and he passed! Afterwards, they shopped for radio parts and a crystal to build his radio. One of his first discoveries on the nightly airwaves was the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. This hobby was “awesome.” He was a member of AMRAD and several other ham radio groups in the DMV, and contributed several articles for the newsletters. He continued to display proudly his ham radio call sign on his name badge at the retirement community where he lived for the last few years.
Bob graduated from Glens Falls High School in 1959. He entered Clarkson College, now University, in Potsdam, NY, on a full scholarship graduating with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1963, earning many certifications over the years, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Boston College in 1985.
During his 23 year career at Raytheon, Bob worked on defensive military systems at several locations around the world. These years were extremely exciting and the whole family enjoyed living in novel places. The longest family homestead was in Foxboro, MA. After Raytheon, Bob worked at Codex Corporation and Motorola. In 1986, he relocated to Arlington, VA, and worked at Mitre Corporation, Northrup Grumman, and The Analytic Sciences Corporation. As a telecommunications consultant, he took immense pleasure in helping the government “to solve complex problems.”
Bob was a lifelong learner and an avid traveler. Between his professional and personal lives, he traveled to almost 50 countries, from A (Austria) to V (Vietnam). He especially enjoyed St. Maarten and for many years worked and vacationed on the Dutch side of the island. He was an expert at collecting things! Model trains, stamps, coins, artifacts from his travels, music, and random things. He continually probed into the latest communications gadgets searching for creative uses. He was an avid genealogist, traveling twice to Ireland to research his family roots. A storyteller, he regaled family and friends with anecdotes of the ancestors and travels.
He loved music and was a superfan of Tina Turner.
After suffering an ischemic stroke in 2010, Bob stepped away from his career and stayed in the Maryland area. He was able to continue traveling in the cruise ship lifestyle.
His consistent demeanor in life was always pleasant, greeting everyone with a “good morning” or “good afternoon” with a smile that came easily to his face and a twinkle in his eyes. Bob’s intelligence, positive disposition, logical thinking and willingness and interest in solving problems made it easy to be around him.
Memorial donations may be made in Bob’s name with the Montgomery County Stroke Association.
A Celebration of Life is TBD later.
Fond memories and condolences may be shared in the family guest book.
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