Rachel Anne Cullen

Rachel Anne Cullen Rachel Anne Cullen (née Quadt) of Arlington, Virginia, died on April 6, 2013, three years after being diagnosed with breast cancer and five months after her 40th birthday. Rachel is survived by beloved husband, Paul D. Cullen, Jr., her children, Grace (10), Vera (8) and Peter Cullen (4), her loving mother and father, Jonna and Robert Quadt of Reston, VA, and siblings David and Michelle Quadt of Ashburn, VA, Andrea and Tim Williams of Annapolis, MD, and John and Kim Pryor of Boone, NC. Rachel was predeceased by her mother Suzanne Quadt in 1993. She leaves behind a legacy of love with her family and dear friends. In 1990 Rachel was in the second graduating class to spend four years at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, competing for the school in both soccer and basketball. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 1994, obtaining a double major in Psychology and French. Rachel spent her third year in college studying in Paris, France, where she developed a life long love affair with all things French. After graduating, Rachel returned to Paris for two years to teach English to French businessmen and to travel. She then returned home to work for several high-tech firms in the Northern Virginia area as a project manager. Rachel and Paul met in 1997, and after a proposal at the top step of the west front of the U.S. Capitol, they married in 2000. Even in the busy years as a young mom, Rachel acted as president of the Mothers of North Arlington, and became a parenting counselor to teenage mothers for Borromeo Housing in Arlington, VA. She also made time to enjoy her love of reading, travel, community service, and friends and family. She will be remembered for her easy smile and laugh and her ability to make a personal connection with each person she met. She had a strong faith, believing that, in the end, it is God’s love that is at the center of it all. A wake will be held at the Murphy Funeral Home in Falls Church, VA, on Thursday, April 11, from 4 to 8:00 p.m. www.murphyfuneralhomes.com. A funeral mass will be held at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Arlington, VA, on Friday, April 12, at 10:00 a.m. StCharlesChurch.org. Instead of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Borromeo Housing, Inc., a non-profit organization whose mission is to help young single mothers to become responsible and self-sustaining members of our community. Borromeohousing.org