Jean Marie McCullough

She succumbed to pneumonia and long-standing pulmonary fibrosis with her family by her side. A funeral mass, and then celebration of life, are planned for Friday, February 16, at 11:00 AM at Holy Trinity Catholic Church and the Bremerton Elk's Club #1181 at noon.

Jean, “Geg” to her friends, “Nani” to her grandchildren, was born in the “Little Italy” neighborhood of Omaha on July 2, 1934. She graduated from Cathedral High School and Saint Catherine Hospital School of Nursing in Omaha, where she met her husband, Paul McCullough. They had five boys in 3 and 1/2 years during his surgical training. After settling in Bremerton in 1966, Jean embraced motherhood and became a full-time homemaker. She managed to find time to volunteer at Holy Trinity Catholic Church and Bremerton Convalescent Center, where she baked treats for bingo and spread love around like frosting. The family settled in the Manette neighborhood of lower East Bremerton in 1972.

Jean loved to cook. Her many large dinner parties were legendary. She touched everybody she met with humility and warmth, and new acquaintances would often remark that she made them feel like old friends. She was gracious even in difficult circumstances and met challenges with inner strength and determination. Her door was always open to her sons’ numerous friends. Her deep devotion to her family showed in the dinners she prepared, the school lunches she packed, the endless supply of cookies in the freezer, and the countless times she got up early to help with a paper route or to shuttle kids to a 5:50 AM ferry. She would not go to sleep until all her sons had checked in, often late at night (only to sneak out again!).

Beginning in 1985 Jean spent winters in Scottsdale, AZ. She loved the beauty of the desert; the sun and warmth sustained her, and she made many friends there. She also acquired a lifelong passion for bridge that earned her Sapphire Life Master status.

Her Catholic faith was a source of great joy, peace, and comfort. She also delighted in her sixteen grandchildren and twenty-seven great grandchildren and committed herself to remembering all of their birthdays.

In 2022 she resettled permanently in Bremerton due to declining health. She is survived by her husband Paul; sons Paul (Patty) of Bremerton, WA; Bill (Tina) of Sherman Oaks, CA; Richard (Toni) of Arlington, WA; James (Molly) of Edmonds, WA; and Greg (Tina) of Sanford, ME. She is preceded in death by her parents, Lillian (Morgano) and Sam Caniglia, and brothers, Ross and twin Bill.