William James "Jim" Cullumber

1939 - 2016

Cullumber, William "Jim" James
77 of Chandler, Az. arrived in Heaven on August 28th, 2016. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on September 20th, 2016 at 10:00 AM at the Chandler First Church of the Nazarene located at 301 N. Hartford St., Chandler, Az. 85225. Jim was born in Mesa, Arizona to Rev. James Freeman Cullumber and Thelma Ellen Cullumber on May 11, 1939. He married the "love of his life", Adonna (Brooks), on September 10, 1960 in Pasadena, Ca. He graduated from Pasadena College in Pasadena, Ca. with a degree in Psychology and did graduate work at ASU. Pasadena College was later moved to San Diego, Ca., and renamed Point Loma Nazarene University. Here he served as past Vice President of the Point Loma University Foundation, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees. In 2007, he was honored by receiving their coveted Distinguished Achievement Award. Jim leaves a rich legacy of business, public service and philanthropic endeavors. One of his first business ventures was in 1967 when he opened his building business, Central Construction Co. with Mike & Eugene Hickey. In 1989, Jim's son Jeffrey, became a partner until Jim retired in 2015. In 1967, Jim also founded Central Real Estate Co. with Mike Hickey. Rudy Serrano later joined as a partner in 1975. Although there are too many contributions to enumerate, one of his recent passions was that of a director of Western State Bank. Jim had a fire in his belly and had up to 7 jobs at a time while putting himself through college, sometimes having only a couple hours to sleep between school and work. In an article he was quoted as saying, "I don't spend too much time on the past, I'm caught up in the now and excited for the future." Jim loved Chandler and in a newspaper article he said, "I can never thank Chandler enough and so many people who welcomed me and have become a part of my family's life. Most of all, I praise the God that has guided me even when I was hard to guide". Jim is preceded in death by his parents, Rev. James and Thelma Cullumber, as well as his grandson Dallas William Alexander. Jim is survived by his wife Adonna Cullumber, his children and their spouses; Jeff Cullumber (Tammy), Kimberley Alexander (Kevin), Rodney Cullumber (Christina) and Bill Exley (Laura) who joined the family when he was 13 years old; his sister Sue Clouse (Denzel); 9 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
Jim fought a heroic 18 year battle with cancer and his family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Alan Bryce of Mayo Clinic, Dr. Shi-Ming Tu of MD Anderson in Houston, TX, Jean Puterbaugh, RN, CHPN of Hospice of the Valley and his dedicated, amazing niece, Devin Brooks, RN. Jim's indomitable, generous spirit has impacted countless lives and his legacy will live on for generations to come. Memorial gifts may be made to the following 501(c)3 organizations, both of in which Jim was passionately involved: Casa Esperanza Para Ninos, an orphanage in Hermosillo, MX which was founded by Adonna & Jim and/ or to The Alexander Brooks Cullumber Foundation which provides educational scholarships and meets individual and family needs in the Chandler community for those in crisis. Contributions can be mailed to Adonna Cullumber at 2730 E. Capricorn Place, Chandler, AZ 85249.