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Meldon Perry McCullough passed at home after a long illness, on Dec. 16, 2021.
He was born the second of five children, to George and Helen McCullough, at the farm on the east Willwood, on Oct. 27, 1936. Meldon started working on the farm at a young age and went through school in Powell. He was with the class of 1954.
Meldon met the love of his life, Mary Norris, a farmer’s daughter. They dated for one year, one month, and 10 days, and married on Nov. 26, 1954, at the Methodist church in Billings, Montana. He was 18 and Mary was 17. Meldon’s dad sold him a 1949 Ford that they packed with all their belongings, and headed for Colorado Springs. They lived there until their first son, Steve, was born.
Shortly thereafter, Meldon followed in his brother Donald’s footsteps and started working on drilling rigs. He was 18 when he took his first job working worms corner for Ray Eason. He stayed with the rigs, moving with his family where the work was. By that point, he had two more sons, Douglas and Curtis, so it was not easy. In 1965, he built his home on Lane 11, where he remained until his death.
His lifelong career advanced. Meldon worked on many rigs and for many oil companies in his life. He worked his way up from worms corner to tool pusher, and then company mean. He helped with the building of the Anderson Myers rig number 12. In the 1980s, he learned how to fly and bought a plane. He was doing a lot of traveling for work at that time.
In 1988, he bought Grandpapa’s, and it was renamed Peaks Bar. Although he still worked in the oil fields on special jobs, he mostly enjoyed his time hunting and fishing with friends. One of his greatest joys was teaching his grandkids, Brynn and Logan, how to fish. He was also pretty happy when he got his moose. He loved telling oil field stories. Morning coffee with friends at the cafe or at The Peaks was the highlight of his day. He loved his family and did what he could for them, when he could.
Meldon was preceded in death by the love of his life, Mary; his parents, George and Helen; his brothers Donald, Kenton and Gary; and his grandson Logan.
He leaves behind a sister Virginia; brother-in-law Glen Loomis; children, Steve (Penny) of Powell, Doug of Red Lodge, and Curtis of Denver; four grandchildren, Brynn (Jarrod) of Powell, Trav (Janet) Ekwall of Torrington, Wendy Phillips of Glenrock, and Dusty (Tracy) Romey of Laramie; eight great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
There will be a viewing from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 30, at Thompson Funeral Home, with services at 11 a.m. at the Church of Christ, 0.7 miles east of Powell on Highway 14A, to Garland Light. Interment will be at Crown Hill Cemetery with a luncheon afterwards.
