Church Greeting/Eulogy for Dad (Richard Kullen)

Delivered at St. James R.C. Church in Setauket, August 8, 2009, by Mike Kullen

Good morning. Thank you all so much for coming.

We're all here today to honor Dad. For some of us in this room, he's Papa, or Uncle Dick, or Big Brother, or Mr. Kullen, but I still think that "Dad" best describes him. Throughout his life, the idea of being a father, being a role model, helping kids grow up right, has been a defining part of his personality.

Even before starting a family of his own, Dad gave a sense of family to kids who didn't have one at home. He volunteered with Catholic Big Brothers and the Boys' Club of New York, helping kids in tough neighborhoods without a father figure to know that someone still cared about them and could set an example for them.

After his own kids had grown up, Dad got involved in the RAP program at Saint Mark's church, connecting high school students with adults in the church to talk about what's important in their lives. And even today, the reason why we're here in Saint James church is because Dad really enjoyed their special Youth Mass on Sunday nights, for the way it really gets teenagers involved in every aspect of the service. Dad often wished that churches could do more for kids & teens, and when he saw that need, he did something about it.

Being a father is something Dad has always been good at. He seemed to know everything, he helped us learn what was right, and he always made time to make all of us feel important. Even when we kids were well into our thirties, he still never missed a card and a call on our birthdays, and there was always a celebration when any of us came for a visit.

As Papa, he's been the most thoughtful grandfather any kid could ask for. With phone calls, birthday visits, presents, and even emails back and forth with a certain 4-year-old, Papa treated every kid as his favorite kid. Because every one of them really *was* his favorite kid.

Dad always set an example, and I hope that I'll be able to do as well as he did.

So thank you all for coming today to celebrate Dad.

(back to main tribute page)