Evelyn Jane Mccullough

Evelyn Jane Craft was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1924 and she had an older brother named Bo. Kentuckians are known to be fiercely independent, given their pioneering spirit. She had a grandmother - Grandma Runner- who was also very independent and lived to be a ripe old age - well into her nineties. Jane graduated from the local high school there and met her husband-to-be while he was stationed there as a Marine Recruiter at the beginning of WW II. Lawrence Mack McCullough, from a small town near Vidalia Georgia; was in contrast, from a very large family. He was about eight years older than her when they met. She had described him as an "Old Salt" at the time, and it is rumored that she was very impressed by the uniform. They really got acquainted one day when the shoes he was trying to apply a special hot-was shine to his shoes, caught on fire outside of the recruiting station on Main Street where she and the local girls liked to go by and make eyes at the Marines stationed there. Lawrence was probably selected to be a recruiter since he looked like the typical Marine. They were married in 1942, which resulted in a relationship that lasted a few days more than fifty one years, when Lawrence passed away in 1994. The Marine Corp played a big role in their lives and marriage. Jane was a good Marine Corp. wife and follower Mack all over the country during his career. Mack eventually had to go oversees during the war and Jane had to stay back in Kentucky and have their first, and only child, Linda, who was delivered by a Marine Corp doctor in a Catholic Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky in January of 1945. Mack eventually came home from the war after Linda was born, but having to go through all of this, probably reinforced Jane's independent and self reliant attitude, which lasted her through her lifetime until last Tuesday.

Lawrence stayed with the Marines and became the top gunsmith for the Marine marksmanship teams. This took Jane to Camp Le Jejune, N.C, Paris Island, SC several times, Philadelphia, PA and Southern California several times, when Mack had to go back over seas, and Jane once again had to tuff it out while he was gone. Eventually Mack retired from the Marines and General LeMay offered him a job with the Air Force shooting teams stationed at Lackland AF Base in San Antonio-- where Linda graduate from High School -- after attending numerous schools over the years. Jane's Mother also moved to San Antonio during this time, Jane suffered a great loss a few years later when her mother met her death in an auto accident here. Through all of this, Jane was a good mother and wife all of these years, having to endure with the hardship of being a military wife with frequent moves. Mack and she developed numerous relationships with other military families, and some of the military traditions probably rubbed off on her. She kept everything in her house as if she expected the "Officer-of-the-day" to drop by for a surprise white-glove inspection. There was a place for everything and everything had its place.

As for the independent attitude, her daughter Linda's husband, Bill, tells me that the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

Jane finally ended up with three grandchildren, Lee Ann, Steven and David, who all loved her very much and affectionately refer to her as "Grandma", and she loved them too. She will be greatly missed by Daughter, her sun-in-law, and the three grandkids, and her little Dog Betsy, who she so greatly loved and who was her devoted pal- right up to the very end.

After all she endured during the forties; Jane McCullough rightfully deserves to be known as a rightful member of "America's Greatest Generation."