Frank Culbertson Obituary

CULBERTSON, Frank LAURENS - Frank Lee Culbertson, MD, a native of Laurens, SC, and a long-time resident of Holly Hill, SC, died peacefully Sunday, September 2, 2007, at the age of 84. His generous spirit, his sense of humor, and his deep care for all human beings will be sorely missed by his devoted family, his grateful patients, and his many friends and acquaintances. Dr. Frank, as he was often called, was born on October 25, 1922, in rural Laurens County, S.C., to Elizabeth Martin Culbertson and Jay Bee Culbertson. He was a graduate of Laurens High School, and was attending the University of South Carolina in 1943 when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and began flight training, eventually earning his Wings of Gold as a Naval Aviator in 1944. He was flying F6F Hellcats as a night fighter pilot in VF(N)-52 attached to the USS Bon Homme Richard when World War II ended, serving in the Pacific theater. After the war, he returned to the University of South Carolina, graduating in 1947. He then attended the Medical University of South Carolina, graduating in 1951, and completing his internship at Roper Hospital in 1952. Dr. Culbertson met Carolina Mitchell Stoddard of Owings, SC, in Charleston where she was teaching school. They were married in Epiphany Episcopal Church in Laurens in 1948. Dr. Culbertson practiced Family Medicine in Laurens and Ridgeway, SC, for several years before settling in Holly Hill, SC, where they resided for 36 years, serving patients throughout that part of the state, especially in rural areas, and raising five children. He was one of the last to be routinely making house calls and delivering babies and suturing in the homes of his patients. Many times his bills were paid with bushels of peaches or baskets of beans. Dr. Frank was active in the Church of the Epiphany Episcopal Church in Eutawville, SC, as Senior Warden and layreader, and was a member of many professional and service organizations, including the American Medical Association, the SC Medical Association, the Edisto Medical Society, Rotary International, and the Order of Masons, and he is a lifetime member of the X.O. Bunch Hunt Club. He received numerous awards and honors during his career, including recognition as the Orangeburg County Health Department Doctor of the Year, the Rotarians' Paul Harris Award, and the 1973 Civil Defense Award for his work saving lives on I-95 during the 1973 snowstorm. A beloved husband, and the father of four daughters and one son, he is survived by his wife of fifty-nine years, Carolina S. Culbertson, currently residing at Martha Franks Center in Laurens; son, Frank L. Culbertson, Jr. and wife Rebecca Culbertson of Centreville, VA; daughter, Jane Dooling and husband Pat Dooling of Orange Park, FL; daughter, Sallie Leigh and husband David Leigh, of Clemson, SC; daughter Carolina Elliott of Boone, NC; and daughter, Amy Culbertson of Atlanta, GA. He is also survived by eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. The family will have a memorial gathering for friends from 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday September 6, 2007, at Avinger Funeral Home, Holly Hill, SC. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, September 7, 2007, at Church of the Epiphany Episcopal Church, 211 Epiphany Rd., Eutawville, SC, at 11 a.m. with burial following in the churchyard. Honorary pallbearers are grandsons Charles Patrick Dooling, Jr., John Roberts Dooling, Frank David Dooling, Jonathan Porter Bull, and Frank Lee Culbertson III, and Godson Justin Allen Hopkins. Another Memorial Service will be conducted at the Martha Franks Baptist Retirement Center, Laurens, SC at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 8, 2007. Arrangements are through the Kennedy Mortuary, Laurens, SC, and the Avinger Funeral Home, Holly Hill, SC. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting: www.avingerfh.com. Memorials may be made in the name of Frank Lee Culbertson, MD, to Martha Franks Baptist Retirement Center, 1 Martha Franks Drive, Laurens, SC 29360; Hospice of Laurens County, PO Box 178, Clinton, SC 29325; Church of the Epiphany, PO Box 9, Eutawville, SC 29048; or the American Cancer Society, 154 Milestone Way, Greenville, SC 29615. Visit our guestbook at www.charleston.net/deaths.