Hugh Anthony McCullen

Hugh Anthony McCullen, age 66 of Clayton, North Carolina, passed away on Sunday, April 2, 2023, after a valiant battle with cancer. Hugh was the son of the late Theodore “Ted” and Bobbie Denning McCullen of Raleigh. He is survived by his wife of nearly 42 years, Martha Varner McCullen, his son, Seth McCullen and wife, Ashley, son, Chad McCullen and wife, Kindelle, daughter, Meredith McCullen and significant other, Scott Smith, and son Christian McCullen and wife, Jessica. Hugh is also survived by four grandchildren, Brooks McCullen, Hayes McCullen, Mary Chesnut McCullen, and Wells McCullen, and was looking forward to the birth of two more grandchildren later this year. In addition, he is survived by his sister, Sharon Kenan, brother, Tim McCullen, and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

Hugh was born in Raleigh and spent his formative years in Garner. He graduated from Garner Senior High School in 1974, where he served as Student Body President and was elected by his peers as “Mr. Garner Senior High School.” Hugh cherished his memories and experiences from Garner where he built many enduring friendships.

From Garner, Hugh then attended Appalachian State University, graduating in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the John Walker College of Business. While at Appalachian, he was active in campus politics, wrote a periodic column for the campus newspaper, and was a member of the ASU Debate Team. In his junior and senior years at Appalachian, he was elected and served as President of the Student Body, an accomplishment of which he was incredibly proud. As Student Body President, he was a member of the University’s Board of Trustees, a lobbyist on behalf of the University to the NC General Assembly and had the distinct honor of being a speaker at his Spring 1978 commencement ceremony.

After college, Hugh returned to Raleigh to work in the family retail and rental business started by his parents, “Ted’s TV.” Eventually, Hugh owned and operated the Garner Ted’s TV location until the early 1990s. He loved the Garner business community and was an active member of the Garner Rotary Club. During this time and for many years thereafter, Hugh also owned and operated M5 Communications, Inc., a videography company, where he captured precious memories for families at countless weddings, dance recitals, musical performances, and celebrations.

In the early 1990s, Hugh began a successful career in the telecommunications and corporate training industry with Bell Northern Research, followed by Nortel and Avaya. At Nortel and Avaya, Hugh earned a reputation as a skilled communicator, dedicated employee and an adept manager of people but also as a loyal friend to his colleagues. He held progressively senior management positions ultimately becoming the General Manager of Collaboration and Unified Communications Systems at Avaya.

Hugh left Avaya in early 2014 to serve as President of Chicago, Illinois based corporate training company, MircoTek, now Attune. He spent nearly four years with MicroTek before returning to Avaya in 2018 for a stint to lead its Global Training and Sales Enablement efforts.

Ever the entrepreneur, in his last few years, Hugh owned and operated Virginia Dare Services, a commercial and residential property services company and franchisee of Window Gang, in his adopted second home of Manteo, North Carolina. In Manteo, Hugh quickly became a dynamic member of the local business community, serving as President of the Manteo Rotary Club.

While Hugh enjoyed and had much success in business, he found fulfillment in life through his family and his faith.

Hugh and Martha met in the summer of 1980 as members of the wedding party of mutual friends. As the story goes, they were paired up in the wedding ceremony “because they were tall.” A whirlwind romance ensued, and Hugh and Martha were married on July 25, 1981. They made their home in Clayton, where together they raised four children and made many wonderful memories.

Hugh was an active and involved father, always there to encourage his children to strive for and be their best. Whether in their academics, athletics or professional pursuits, he would find creative and subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) ways to motivate his children and provide them with sound, practical advice.

The grandson of a Baptist minister, Hugh was a devoted Christian and man of faith. He was a member and Deacon of First Baptist Church in Clayton, where he spent many Sundays in the balcony of the sanctuary volunteering his expertise as the de facto video and sound technician. Throughout his life and his illness, Hugh found peace and strength through his faith and prayer.

Hugh was a kind and gregarious man who always sought to offer a helping hand to others and make everyone feel welcome and included. He had an infectious smile, a dry wit and a seemingly endless supply of “dad jokes.” He will be sorely missed.

The family wishes to thank all those who cared for Hugh during his illness and particularly their First Baptist Church family, who provided constant prayer, aid and support.

A visitation for Hugh will be held Wednesday, April 5, 2023 from 6:00 to 8:00pm at McLaurin Funeral Home, 12830 US 70 Bus Hwy W, Clayton, NC. A celebration of Hugh’s life will occur Thursday, April 6, 2023 at 10:00am at First Baptist Church, 411 N Fayetteville St., Clayton. A committal service will occur at 2:30pm Thursday, April 6, 2023 at Raleigh Memorial Park, 7501 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, NC 27612.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to First Baptist Church in Clayton or to the Manteo Rotary Club’s Hugh A. McCullen Scholarship; donations to the Hugh A. McCullen Scholarship may be made at the following link: https://obcf.org/hugh-mccullen-memorial-scholarship.