Dorothy Culp:101 and counting
GURTEJ SOHAL/THE FORUM
Growing up alongside her three brothers, Dorothy Culp said she knew she would have to find her own path.
SKIDMORE, Mo. — In a quaint house nestled on the outskirts of Skidmore, Dorothy Culp awaits her 102nd birthday. Living to such an age is not an easy feat, but Culp manages it through unwavering resilience and a dash of luck. Her day-to-day routine involves finding ways to fill the time, which is not too different from her time as a youth.
Culp was born in 1923 just five miles outside of Skidmore. She was raised on a farm alongside her three younger brothers. As the only girl, Culp quickly realized her role would be different in terms of both work and play.
“They just had their own thing,” recalled Culp. “They wanted to play and they didn’t want me with them.”
While the boys were out managing the farm, Culp was inside tending the house. And while the boys played their own games, Culp made do with croquet and stick horses.
“I just had to find something for myself,” said Culp. “At the time, you found something to do.”
Finding a way to keep moving forward is a common thread in how Culp has lived her life.
But life is always easier when sharing the burden. She didn’t have to look far to find someone to share it with — marrying her childhood neighbor, Richard.
There wasn’t a moment Culp can look back on that brought them together. In rural Missouri, especially in those days, where people lived and grew with the same faces — the rest happens naturally.
“We were neighbors for years and years and years,” said Culp. “We were just always together and that was it.”
She had two boys of her own and continued to live and work on the farm. Culp’s husband owned a construction company as well, so both were always occupied with something.
That small family grew and grew. Now, Culp has five grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.
At her age, keeping up with everyone in the family is difficult.
“I have to write it down because if I don’t, I don’t remember,” said Culp.
There used to be reunion parties, but getting such a large family in the same place proved to be a challenge. According to Culp, the last reunion was held 25 years ago.
Once her children left, it was just Culp and her husband. They left the farm and moved to Skidmore in 1976 for a change of pace. This fresh start was short lived, as her husband died a year or so later.
Rather than be deterred by his passing, Culp moved on like she always does.
“I’ve always had somebody saying ‘You need to do this, you need to do that, just to get this done,’” said Culp. “And I thought, ‘I don’t have to listen to that anymore. I’m going to do what I want and stay by myself.’”
And that’s exactly what Culp has done. Outside of her visits from the wife of one of her grandsons, she has enjoyed her own company for close to 50 years since her husband’s passing.
Just as she would as a youth, she always finds something to do. Culp would spend her time quilting before her arthritis put an end to the hobby. Now, she enjoys birdwatching and word searches; she’ll do just about whatever she can to keep her mind sharp.
Her resilience was put to the test when she discovered she had breast cancer in the 2000s. Culp was fully aware she might lose the battle, yet she persisted. At that point in a person’s life, all they can do is move forward.
“I guess you just keep going,” said Culp. “If you have to, if you’re alive, you just keep going. Don’t have a choice, do you?”
GURTEJ SOHAL/THE FORUM
Now, Culp has a large family tree of her own, even if keeping track of everybody’s birthdays can sometimes be a challenge.
GURTEJ SOHAL/THE FORUM
Finding a way to keep moving forward is a common thread in how Culp has lived her life.
GURTEJ SOHAL/THE FORUM
Dorothy Culp is counting down the days until her 102nd birthday on July 13. She told The Forum that an mind active has kept her going.
