David John McCullough, 80, died on Friday, May 16 at his home near Black River Falls. David was born in
Portage, Wisconsin on June 18, 1944, to Marion E. (Berg) McCullough and Wesley “WF” McCullough. He
joined two older sisters in the family.
David graduated from Portage High School in 1962. His dream was to be an Industrial Arts Teacher. He
graduated from Northern State College in Aberdeen, SD in January of 1967 with that major in Industrial Arts
and a minor in Art. Mr. Schmallenberg, BRF superintendent, hired him to teach at the BRF High School, and
his supervising teacher, George Stewart, allowed him to leave student teaching 2 weeks early to take the job
(don’t tell NSC).
David enjoyed teaching very much. He always had lots of good stories to tell about those days and the kids.
Some happenings are not permitted now, maybe not then, either. Could you build your own wooden ski boat in
the shop and call it a “student project”? Or reward students by handing them the keys to your 1966 Corvette?
Not sure.
His classes built a garage and at least 5 houses in the community. During summer breaks, he built several more
homes, often enlisting their help.
He was extremely proud of the many successes of his students, both in school and after they graduated. He
loved running into past students and catching up with their lives and reminiscing.
David was also a successful insurance agent for Sentry Insurance. He enjoyed educating his customers about
their policies. It was said he may have talked and explained so much that the customers signed on to get him out
the door. His persistence earned wonderful trips to Florida and Hawaii (twice).
David and Linda (Nelson) met as young teachers at BRF High School and were married in 1972. They were
blessed with two sons, Dave and Dan. Both sons enjoyed working in the home shop with their dad and learned
many skills from him.
Family was very important to David. There were many family reunions at the house and family trips (often to
Lake Michigan with boat and camper). Algoma, the Black Hills, Washington DC, along with ski trips to
Montana and Terry Peak were some highlights. A broken-down RV on July 4th during a snowstorm in
Yellowstone was not a highlight for Linda.
David’s life changed in 1999 when he needed surgery to remove a brain tumor. Following surgery, he was
unable to go back to work. That was hard for him. But he made the best of it. He often counted his blessings. He
was always very thankful for family and friends.
Grandchildren are later life’s finest blessing. David was extremely proud of his four grandchildren. He very
much enjoyed watching every school program, baseball, hockey, and football games, and trapshooting events
that he felt well enough to attend. He said often how blessed he was to have the grandkids close. He was thrilled
to see the boys hunting and fishing, often sharing his advice and countless fishing baits with them. He adored
his granddaughter, who shares his artistic talent. They would exchange artwork with each other quite often.
David was preceded in death by his parents WF and Marion, and his two sisters, Kathryn Kennedy and Joan
Lynts.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years Linda, his sons Dave (Erin) and Dan (Lisa); and his 4 grandchildren
Hank, James, Lily and Wes. He is further survived by two brothers-in-law George Lynts and Larry Nelson,
nephews and nieces and cousins, and very wonderful friends.
The memorial service for David will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at the United Methodist
Church in Black River Falls, WI. A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. Please join
family and friends for lunch afterwards at the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be directed to the Hixton Fire Department, Black River
Falls Shooting Tigers Team, or Black River Falls United Methodist Church.