Edward Emmett Cullen Sr.

PAWCATUCK - Edward E. Cullen, Sr., 87, of Pawcatuck, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on February 9, 2026, at Westerly Hospital, surrounded by loved ones.

Born on May 18, 1938, in Hartford, Connecticut, Ed was the son of the late Joseph J. Cullen and Mary E. "Daisy" (Hussey) Cullen. He was raised in West Haven and graduated from West Haven High School in 1956. He later attended University of Connecticut where he played on the men's soccer team, a sport he enjoyed and followed throughout his life.

In 1960, Ed enlisted in the military, where he served for more than a decade and earned the coveted Green Beret. He was assigned to D Company, 19th Special Forces (Airborne), and also qualified as a Jumpmaster.

Following his military service, Ed built a professional life defined by leadership, initiative, and drive. In his twenties, he founded and co-owned the Connecticut Ambulance Service, demonstrating early entrepreneurial instinct. In his thirties, he held materials management and purchasing roles at Sikorsky Aircraft and Huyck Metals, and later served as Subcontract Administrator at Perkin-Elmer Corporation, where he worked on NASA's Apollo Telescope Mount Program.

As his career gained momentum and his family grew, Ed turned his energy homeward. In the early 1970s, he built the family home in Pawcatuck with his own hands, a house that would remain the center of life for family and friends for decades.

Professionally, his responsibilities continued to grow. After serving as Purchasing Manager at Rhode Island Hospital, he was hired by Hospital Bureau, Inc. as Group Purchasing Coordinator and soon advanced to Northeast Manager of Group Purchasing. His talent for building trust across organizations led to further advancement as Associate Vice President of Marketing & Member Services, where he negotiated national contracts for more than 1,100 healthcare institutions across the country.

In the early 1980s, Ed once again followed his entrepreneurial instincts and founded Ag-Ray Technologies, Inc., pioneering a method for reclaiming silver flake from discarded X-ray film. What began as an experiment, with silver bullion bars cast in a small crucible in the backyard, grew into a highly successful enterprise serving clients throughout New England, New York, and northern New Jersey.

Soccer remained one of the great constants in Ed's life. He is recognized for his role in helping to establish University of Connecticut Friends of Soccer, a fan and alumni group dedicated to supporting the men's team, particularly during the era of UCONN's legendary coach Joe Morrone.

For many years, he coached youth soccer locally in Stonington. In 1987, his team qualified for the Mitre/Soccer America National Amateur Indoor Championship, where they finished fourth in the nation. In 1989, he organized an exchange with a team from Diegem, Belgium, taking local players there to compete, and later hosting the Belgian youth team in Stonington. Lasting friendships grew from this unique exchange, connections among players, coaches, and parents that endure to this day. He also served his community for a time as president of the Stonington Community Credit Union and the Pawcatuck Little League.

Over the years, his ventures -- from ambulance services to silver recovery to KIS One-Hour Photo -- reflected courage, creativity, and a conviction that opportunity awaits those willing to pursue it. He retired in 1999 as Hospital Surgical Business Manager at New Britain General Hospital, concluding an impressive career marked by rapid advancement, innovation, and mentorship as he helped others on their path.

Ed's children recall a childhood shaped by the outdoors in southeastern Connecticut and Rhode Island -- fishing out of Stonington, camping at Burlingame State Park and Pachaug Pond, and learning to ski at Mt. Tom and Yawgoo before annual Vermont trips to Killington and Okemo mountains with family friends. He introduced the family to boating, lobstering, and later, gardening and winemaking, modeling a lifelong curiosity about the world. His love of learning and enthusiasm for fresh experiences was part of his magnetism and charm.

Deeply proud of his Irish heritage, Ed devoted more than forty years to genealogical research, tracing his family's roots and preserving that history for future generations. He traveled widely, returning often to Ireland in search of ancestral beginnings. He also cherished time spent in Puerto Rico where he lived for a short time, and Spain, specifically Andalusia, based on his love of the prose poem "Platero and I" by Juan Ramon Jimenez. Ed was drawn especially to the Spanish language which he enjoyed practicing whenever he could.

In his later years, he was a faithful communicant of St. Pius X Church in Westerly. He was known for quiet acts of kindness, often handing out Guardian Angel coins around town as small tokens of encouragement.

Those who knew Ed will remember his loyalty and readiness with a joke. He believed in hard work, taking chances, and showing up for people. His legacy lives not only in the businesses he built and the institutions he strengthened, but in the example he set of resilience, initiative, humor even in difficult moments, and steadfast devotion to family.

Ed is survived by his beloved children, Edward Jr. (Susan), Maura Faulise (Stephen), Jeffrey (Karen), and Daniel; his eight grandchildren, Cullen Faulise, Kassia Fournier, Victoria Cullen, Alexandra Cullen, Jack Cullen, Natalia Cullen, Breandan Cullen, and Christian Cullen; and his great-grandchildren, Stevie, Sonny, and Oaklyn. He also leaves his brother Joseph "Billy" Cullen, and his cherished partner of several years, Susan Tanguay.

He was predeceased by his parents; his wife of 30 years and mother of his four children, Rosanne (Levanti) Cullen; his second wife, Ruth "Sis" Cullen; and his brother, John Cullen.

Friends and relatives are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on March 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Pius X Church, 44 Elm Street, Westerly, Rhode Island. Gaffney-Dolan Funeral Home of Westerly, RI is overseeing arrangements. There are no calling hours, and burial will be private. An Irish celebration of Ed's life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ed's memory to Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675. For online condolences, visit gaffneydolanfuneralhome.com.