Today marks a  year since your passing, Dad. There have been some difficult moments of missing your calm voice and efforts to make me laugh. I recall many times over the past year thinking, that was Dad who guided me to take a different path than plan. Always working out for the better.  For the first time I feel someone above is watching over me. I love you more than ever and miss you terrible. Thank you for being my Dad and for always being there for me. 

Many wonderful memories - our professional lives intertwined for several years - work including the team gatherings. I know he will be missed by family, friends, and neighbors. 

I will miss Jim.  I will miss his uncanny way of looking and solving problems, for his dry sense of humor, for his sincerity and honesty always but most of all for his friendship.

I will end by saying this is not goodbye Jim, but a thank you.  Thank you for being my friend.  Thank you for inviting me into your life and for all the good memories of our work together:  and especially those luncheons!

Your Friend,

Bob Schuetz


Just one example of this is if our customer wanted to know why a cable didn’t get run to the closet on the 3rd floor of a plant in Tokyo, Jim could pinpoint the exact progress and offer the correct explanation.  This sounds somewhat technical and maybe to some even trivial, but when you look at the big picture of a multi-million dollar effort the customer knew Jim was really managing 15 projects with thousands of individual tasks all simultaneously and gave our customer the faith that we were doing it right.  At the same time all these individual projects needed to look like one giant project.  A feat that only a very few Project Managers can successfully do, still today. 

After NCR, we both went to work for Hewlett Packard and once again, I counted on Jim to manage our very complex projects.  Jim was a quick learner and had this special talent of being able to anticipate Customer’s requirements and have a solution ready to implement.  His customers respected him, and so did his peers.  He clearly stood out as one of the best Project Managers in our group.

Jim and one other work associate and I scheduled periodic luncheons that sometimes lasted several hours.  We talked about everything from what was going on at work, in our Family life, to the stock market and business, and then, of course, the two very taboo subjects:  religion and politics.  This is when it got fun.  Terry and I did most of the bantering, usually with opposing views, while Jim just listened very carefully and smiled throughout.  And then he would suddenly join in by making some profound statement that made us laugh.  We then realized after all of this talk, we just all agreed to disagree!  It was always a tie game and to this day I was never sure who’s side Jim took on either subject.  I think that’s what made it fun.

Part II

I attended Jim’s Memorial Service today and was proud to meet Nettie and the rest of Jim’s Family.  Without a doubt, Jim was loved by all, and I know he loved them.  It was a wonderful experience to celebrate a very special person.  I’d like to share a few memories I have of Jim but first I’d like to once again extend my deepest sympathies to Nettie, Jim’s children and his grandchildren.  

I’ve known Jim for about 25 years and just as it said in his Obituary, Jim truly was a pioneer in the computer industry.  He was also a great Project Manager.  I’ve learned throughout the years that people might forget what you say, people may forget what you did, but they never forget how you made them feel. Jim was one of those people that stood out and always made people feel welcomed.  

When I moved to Dallas with NCR my charter was to build a world class Project Management Practice.  Jim was one of my first interviewees.  Shortly after we began talking, I immediately knew Jim was someone who should be part of this Team.  

Jim’s experience and technical knowledge made him perfect for a very large implementation we were working on for a large chip manufacturer located here in Dallas.  This company was extremely project management oriented and relied heavily on a computer application called MS-Project.  They used it to manage all the job tasks laid out for every project and then relied on it to compare weekly effort against those targets to get current performance.   

This project involved over 15 manufacturing plants throughout the world.  They wanted to manage each of the individual plants progress by itself and then as one total large project.  Jim was the only person that had both the technical knowledge but also the ability to see the “big picture” in the same way our customer did.  He didn’t let us down.  He learned this application and was our Senior Representative at every Customer progress meeting. 

Part I

Like so many HP Alumnae, I lost touch with those I worked with, including Jim, over the years. Working at HP, with Bob as my manager and mentor, gave me the opportunity to get to know so many people in a more relaxed way. Jim was one of those. Good memories and experiences. Ones that I will never regret! RIP Jim.....

Nettie, Bob Schuetz called with Jim's passing. Linda and I send prayers for peace, for you and your family. Jim was a good friend and I always enjoyed time with him discussing how we believed the world should be. I'm grateful for your and his friendship. Terry Daly, Champlin, MN

To Nettie and family:  I just learned about Jim.  Although I had not seen the two of you in many years, you both have been a major part of my memories of college days.  I was fortunate to have roomed with Jim at St. Mary's University.  I even got to visit with him and his family in East St. Louis.  The highlight of our friendship, however, was when I served as best man in your wedding.  All of you are in my thoughts and prayers.  With sincere condolences, I send my love.  BOB Wingenter

OBITUARY

James Thomas Cullen

December 6, 1936 – March 10, 2022

Ted Dickey West Funeral Home

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