John R. Culkin

John R. Culkin of Natick passed away on October 22, 2025. With his passing the world lost a joyous laugh, a quick wit, and a generous soul.
John was the beloved husband of Constance "Connie" (Pierce) Culkin, with whom he shared life's journey for over 42 years. He was the loving father of Melissa Culkin and her partner Hilary Williams of Somerville; Darlene Stone and her husband Steve of Naperville, IL; and Andrew Culkin and his wife Meghan Sullivan of Cape Cod. He was also a cherished grandfather to Darlene's two children, Carson and Keira Stone. John was preceded in death by his parents Irene and Clarence Culkin, as well as his younger sister, Mary (Culkin) Gilbert.
A proud native of Montreal, Canada, John held a special place in his heart for his homeland throughout his life. He began working for Sun Life of Canada in Montreal at the age of 16, and eventually immigrated to the United States in 1973 to run the data center at the company's Wellesley office. John remained with Sun Life for a career of nearly 40 years, ultimately retiring as the Director of Technical Services. Over the course of his career he witnessed revolutions in technology, from room-sized computers and punch cards to the era of personal computers. His daughters still fondly remember drawing on used punch cards during office visits. Even after retirement, John's lifelong love of tinkering with technology continued, a passion his son Andrew has inherited.
John's love for his community was evident through his wide-ranging service. After becoming an American citizen, he served multiple terms as a Natick Town Meeting Member, was a dedicated member of Natick's Finance Committee and tirelessly served as a poll worker for many years. His service also extended to helping others directly, including as an English as a Second Language tutor through the Morse Institute Library and helping to lead his son's Scout troop.
John also found joy as an enthusiastic supporter of the athletes in his family. He proudly embraced his role as a Lehigh University "track" family member, and had fond memories of traveling with his wife to son Andrew's college track meets. As his grandchildren grew, John found new ways to show his support from afar, using streaming technology to cheer for grandson Carson's hockey games and granddaughter Keira's soccer games from his home in Natick.
While all of the activities listed above are things John did, the important part of each of them is that he loved the people he did them with. John enjoyed people. He appreciated a quick wit and good humored soul no matter where he encountered you. He wouldn't hesitate to strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere. He was the type of person where acquaintances soon became friends.
John was also a kind and generous soul. If he saw an article in the paper and it made him think of you, there was a good chance it would get clipped out and either sent to you via snail mail or handed to you the next time he saw you. If he heard about a book he thought you would enjoy, there was a strong possibility you were going to end up with it at some point. He also loved selecting and giving greeting cards for any type of occasion. He often meticulously drafted the message before scripting it into the card in his distinctive penmanship. Through small and thoughtful gestures such as these, John made connections with others throughout his life.
A memorialization of John would be incomplete if we didn't mention his distinctive and warm laugh and wonderful sense of humor. When John found something funny, you knew it. His laughter easily filled the room. There was something gratifying about saying something that would provoke such a hearty laugh. Similarly, John's quick wit would often invoke laughter in others. He loved telling a good story as much as he liked hearing one.
We will forever cherish John's positive outlook on life and his persistent optimism. He always sought and saw the good in people and in the world.
John had a longstanding tradition of buying his children a Christmas ornament each year. There will be an empty spot in our hearts and on our Christmas trees this year as we process the loss of our father. We are grateful for all the ways he supported us in our lives, for passing on to us his extraordinary sense of humor and his ease of conversing with others. We cherish the time we had with him and are grateful his suffering was limited in the end.
A wonderful way to quietly honor John would be to connect with someone important to you, as he so often did. Let them know you are thinking of them and add just a little bit of joy to the world today.
The family will hold a private memorial to honor John's life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Natick Service Council at natickservicecouncil.org, 2 Webster St Natick, MA 01760. For guest book please visit www.everettfuneral.com