Elbert Ritchie (Ebb) Culp

Ebb was born on May 22, 1921, in Concord NC, the son of Elbert Lee Culp and Gertha Rose (Ritchie) Culp. He is pre-deceased by his parents and his two sisters Anna Lee (Culp) Dayvault and Mary Edith (Culp) Jarvis. After graduation from Winecoff High School in Concord NC in 1940, Ebb worked for the North Carolina Ship Building Company, in the Wilmington NC Shipyard, building Liberty Ships. Then, as a member of the “Greatest Generation”, Ebb served in the U. S. Navy aboard the destroyer USS English in the Pacific theater of World War II, from December 1943 until January 30, 1946. Ebb was a “Plank” owner of the USS English, being one of the original crew members of the vessel. The USS English was the first American ship to sail into Tokyo Bay, preceding the USS Missouri, upon which the Japanese surrendered to mark the end of World War II. At the conclusion of the war, Ebb was honorably discharged from the Navy with the rank of Fire Controlman Third Class. After his Navy service, Ebb began a long and successful career as a Service Manager for the Addressograph/Multigraph International Corporation from March 8, 1946 until his retirement in December 1981.

Ebb married Suzanne (Drummond) Culp on March 30, 1957, and he was a loving and devoted husband to Suzanne for 66 years. He enjoyed traveling and spending time with family, and he especially loved to do both together. He loved taking road-trips with family to familiar places within his old Addressograph/Multigraph service area, and he was infamous for his long “short-cuts”. Ebb also enjoyed volunteer work for charities. He was a server for Meals-on-Wheels for many years. Above all, Ebb was a devoted man of God. He loved his Lord. His favorite people, and some of his best friends, were ministers or church staff. However, he enjoyed talking to people of all persuasions and occupations, and he never met a stranger. Ebb was loved by everyone whoever came to know him.

Ebb is survived by daughter Kathy (Paul) Bolzan and sons James Luther (Corie) Culp, Elbert Lee (Toinette) Culp and John Edward (Ella) Culp; grandsons Trent Hamilton (Jill) Culp, Colin Ritchie Culp, James Andrew (Aimee) Culp, John Allen (Jana) Culp and Caden Lee Culp; grand-daughters Lisa (Greg) Furr and Ella Rose Culp; and multiple great-grandchildren.

A visitation will be held at Mackey Funeral home at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Greenville (1 Pine Knoll Drive) on Friday November 17, 2023, from 4:00 p.m to 6:00 p.m. A funeral service to celebrate Ebb’s life will be held at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday November 18, 2023, followed by a private graveside service at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Upstate, the Salvation Army or Miracle Hill Ministries.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.mackeycenturydrive.com for the Culp family.