Leola Marguerite Culley

Leola “Lee” Marguerite Culley, 91 of Fort Collins passed away December 12, 2015 at her home with her family by her side. She was born in Endicott, New York on June 22, 1924 to Roy and Ethel (Cross) Avery. Growing up on a farm near Newark Valley, Lee literally walked miles through all kinds of weather just to get to school, so great was her love for learning. Throughout her life, Lee was involved in clubs and sports. Being a competitive athlete, Lee was on the varsity basketball and lacrosse teams in college where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Houghton College in New York. Following graduation, Lee was a secretary to the Dean of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, where she later met her future husband Jack Culley, who was working on his PhD. Lee also was a secretary for North American Aviation Co. in Long Beach, California and worked as an executive secretary to the plant manager at Procter and Gamble. Jack and Lee married on January 28, 1956 in Ithaca, New York and made their home in Iowa City, Iowa where Jack was the director of the Bureau of Labor Management at the University of Iowa. In 1965, Lee and her family set out for a new adventure and travelled to Liberia, West Africa where they spent two years while Jack worked on a USAID program in which he started the new College of Business at the University of Monrovia. In 1968, Lee and Jack moved to Fort Collins, Colorado as Jack was offered a director and professor position at Colorado State University in the college of business. Over the years, Lee and Jack travelled the world taking in as many sites and as much history as possible. While living in Fort Collins, Lee held many voluntary positions in an effort to make a difference for others. She lived a life of service to others, and among many volunteer positions she held, she was president of her local Church Women United, president of Christ United Methodist Church women’s group and president of Colorado State University Women’s group. Lee enjoyed reading, singing, playing cards, genealogy, going to the mountains, and spending endless hours with her children and grandchildren whom she was so proud of. Lee’s first priority, always, was her family, and she will be deeply missed, as she was the rock that held this family together. Lee is survived by her son, James Culley of Fort Collins, Colorado; daughter, Jean (Darius) Taylor of Parker, Colorado; son, Larry (Margaret) Culley of Midway, Utah; nine grandchildren, Erin (Matthew) Stewart, Ryan Culley, Jaime Culley, Aleela Taylor, Kasserine Taylor, Darius Taylor II, Juliana Taylor, Ronald Jackson Culley and Matthew David Culley; two great grandchildren, Brenna Stewart and Makenna Stewart. Lee was preceded in death by her husband, Jack in 2007; parents, Roy and Ethel Avery; five siblings, Robert Avery, Emerson Avery, Richard Avery, Loretta Avery and Bernard Avery. There will be a traditional funeral service at 1:00 PM, Saturday, December 19th at Christ United Methodist Church, 301 East Drake Road, Fort Collins, Colorado. A private interment will be held, 11:00 AM, Monday, December 21 st at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colorado. The family welcomes, and are grateful for, all who remember Lee and would like to attend her memorial service on Saturday.

Leola Marguerite Culley

June 22, 1924 - December 12, 2015