Patrick Justin McCullough, 41, of Woodbury, Tennessee passed away on Thursday, January 26, 2023. He was born in Woodbury, Tennessee on Monday, September 7, 1981. Preceding him in death were his mother, Deborah “Debbie” Lynn Sullins Parker, and grandparents, Lacie Clark and Berma Jean Sullins.
He is survived by his wife, Lu Anne McCullough of Woodbury; father, Keith McCullough of Lebanon; brother, “Thomas “TK” McCullough of Woodbury; sister, Josephine “Jinni Jo” McCullough of Murfreesboro; cousins, Nicholas Barton of Murfreesboro, Dan Sullins of McMinnville, and Amy McMackins of McMinnville; aunt, Phyllis Barton of Readyville; niece, Sierra (Alex) Anderson; nephew, Zachary “Zach” McCullough; great nieces and nephews; Jace Anderon, Ryleigh Anderson, Levi Anderson, and Sadie Anderson; numerous uncles, aunts, and cousins; and countless friends.
Patrick grew up living with his mom, and he developed a close relationship with his Granny Berma and Pa Lacie early on in life. It’s believed that Patrick’s knack for working on things got started by Grandpa Lacie, and it definitely blossomed in the years to come. Patrick was mechanically inclined and wasn’t happy unless he was working on something. Cars, lawn mowers, and chain saws became some of his primary projects, and if he ever got stumped, he trained himself using YouTube videos to get it figured out.
That self-motivation to work caused Patrick to be game for trying anything, so he worked a myriad of jobs throughout his life. In his younger years, Patrick worked for farmers hauling hay and even rock farming. Later on, he went to work at a garage and changed oil. However, he didn’t have to be working with his hands to be skilled. He worked at a convenience store and even at a call center out in Las Vegas, Nevada selling time shares. Patrick was a smooth talker and excellent salesman, but what he sold the best was himself.
Everywhere he went, people wanted to make Patrick manager. He was a hard worker, a motivator, and, above all, generous. If he had it and you needed it, he would give it to you regardless of whether he needed it or not. His selfless behavior and his sense of humor made him one of the most likeable people in the room. However, in many situations, the strongest person in the room is the one struggling the most.
When Patrick met Lu Anne, he had committed himself to turning his life around, and Lu Anne was sure to support his endeavors. The girls at Lu Anne’s work tried to keep him pretty by giving him skin treatments to help heal his skin, and Lu Anne tried to keep his mind and hands busy. They were married in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on October 20, 2015 and ended up making more memories in their 7 years together than most make in a lifetime. Together, they lived in Tennessee, Georgia, and Nevada, just moving back to Tennessee in November 2022 to restart their lives here.
Since Patrick was enamored with the West, their travels too them to the NASA station in Houston, Texas; Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona; Zion National Park in Utah; Ely in Nevada; and all through Cowboy County in Nevada. Some of their best memories were made 6,000 to 8,000 ft in the air, hiking and driving up mountains. But it wasn’t only the mountains calling Patrick’s name. Fishing was one of his top hobbies. One time fishing in the Tennessee River, he threw a cast to see if the fishing would be any count that day. After catching a fish on the first cast, he got so excited that he locked the keys in the car. Though most wives would be rather aggravated with their spouse for this, Lu Anne saw it as an opportunity for him to get more fishing done while they waited on the spare.
Anytime they were headed out to Tullahoma, they were sure to bring the poles and stop at Normandy Lake. Even with all of their moving, they were sure to not let it slow down their fishing too much. In Nevada, they fished at Lake Mead. In Georgia, Allatoona Lake and Lake Lanier became their go-to spots with occasional trips over to Guntersville Lake in Alabama. Patrick caught good-sized fish over at Guntersville, but everywhere they went he managed to keep up his reputation or having several lucky casts.
Georgia just happened to be the place that hooked him. It was there that he started attending church at Buckhead Church in Atlanta because, in Georgia, it wasn’t it you go to church, it was where do you go to church. That was enough to convince Patrick that he should try it out and incorporate it on his path to recovery. Yet, Patrick and Lu Anne weren’t always on the go.
They enjoyed times of respite at home together, where Patrick was sure to keep things entertaining. Lu Anne remembers him finding a dead bird in their wood stove, and right when he was pulling it out, “Free Bird” came on the radio. Finding amusement in the irony, Patrick gave Lu Anne a full performance until Lu Anne decided it was high time the bird went outside. His lighthearted personality also provided comic relief when they were moving back to Tennessee for the last time.
They were having to move two apartments worth of items back into one home, so obviously, some of it ended up getting donated. Patrick made it a running joke whenever they couldn’t find something that, “You must have left it at Goodwill.” Those moments of silliness may not seem like much, but they embodied the life Patrick was actively fighting to have. His story ended much too soon, but his fight for really living set an example for others to follow.
Visitation will be held at Gentry-Smith Funeral Home on Thursday, February 2, 2023 from 10 am-2 pm. Funeral services will follow on Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 2 pm in the Gentry-Smith Funeral Home chapel. Tim Gentry will officiate. Interment will be in Cherry Cemetery.
Share memories and condolences at www.gentrysmithfuneralhome.com Gentry-Smith Funeral Home, 303 Murfreesboro Rd. Woodbury, TN 37190, 615-563-5337 Because every life has a story