Joan Culberson

Mrs. Joan Lois Brightman Culberson died peacefully in her home on September 7, 2010. She was 80 years old. Born in Fall River, Massachusetts to Thomas Russell Brightman and Blanche Eyre Brightman, Joan and her family moved to Portsmouth, NH in 1937. Joan graduated in 1948 from Portsmouth High School and then attended the University of New Hampshire in Durham where she was a cheerleader. She subsequently graduated from The Katherine Gibbs School in Boston. Following graduation, Joan worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Washington, DC. In1952, she married James M. Culberson, Jr. (Jim), her next door neighbor in 1938 in Portsmouth, NH. Jim was stationed in Europe so the first two years of their marriage were spent in Austria. Joan worked for the Department of the Army in Salzburg and was the Administrative Assistant to the Commanding General in Vienna. Upon their return to the States, Joan was an executive secretary at American Machine and Foundry (AMF) in New York City. With the birth of the first of their four children, Joan turned her attentions toward home while Jim pursued a career in banking. The Culbersons moved to North Carolina in 1960 when Jim took a position with Wachovia Bank and they lived in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Morganton and Durham. In 1974, Jim accepted a position with First National Bank of Randolph County and the family settled in Asheboro. Always game, affable, and courteous, she gracefully performed the role of a banker's wife as a stalwart supporter and companion for her husband Jim as his work took them to each new community. Joan's adventurous spirit and genuine interest in people served her well. She was involved in her church's altar guild, the Greensboro Junior League, the Pixie Playhouse, Victory Junction, A Room at the Inn and was a docent at the North Carolina the Zoological Park. She also served as Chairperson of the Randolph County Library Board and was a director and was deeply involved with the Asheboro Arts Guild. Joan loved to travel and particularly enjoyed the years that the couple spent working across the state with the North Carolina Bankers Association and across the nation and abroad with the American Bankers Association. After retirement, their travels took them to Africa, China and Eastern Europe. A sports enthusiast, Joan enjoyed tennis, snow skiing and rafting. At age 51, she even conquered a ten day Outward Bound course. She claimed to have enjoyed the peace of the "solo" the most. Once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader. She rallied her four children through thick and thin, carpooling, cajoling and always encouraging. With a tenacious spirit, Joan encouraged her children to respect all people equally and to stand against unkindness and injustice. She helped them each believe that they could accomplish anything to which they put their minds and efforts. She modeled the virtues of tenacity, grace, and humility in all of her interactions. Her belief in them helped them to believe in themselves. Four years ago, a diagnosis of Alzheimer's presented new challenges. These were met with the same determination, courage and humor that exemplified her life. Her motto was "onward and upward". The family is very grateful to Carrie Coble of Home Health of Randolph Hospital for her inspired care and loving friendship. The excellent services of Hospice of Randolph County have also proved invaluable. Joan is survived by Jim, her husband of 58 years; their son Matt and his wife, Charlotte and her sons Sean, Tim and Logan and their wives in the Salt Lake City UT area; their daughter Sarah Proctor and her husband Dick and their 2 daughters, Emily and Rhodes of Raleigh, NC; their son John and his wife Karen of Park City, UT; their daughter Rebecca Senhauser and her husband Bill and their children Jack, Kate, James and Georgia in Washington, DC; her brother Russ Brightman of Portsmouth, NH; and her 8 nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held Friday, September 10, 2010 at 11:00 am at First United Methodist Church with Rev. Michael Holder and and Dr. Donald Haynes officiating. The family will receive friends Thursday, September 9, 2010 from 6-8 pm at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Ave., Asheboro, NC. Memorials may be made to the Randolph Public Library, 201 Worth Street, Asheboro, NC 27203; the First United Methodist Church, 224 N. Fayetteville Street, Asheboro, NC 27203; or a charity of choice.