John S. Culpepper

John S. Culpepper, age 85, from Wilmington, DE, went home to be with the Lord on February 27, 2024. He was born and raised in Western Springs, IL (suburb of Chicago). He was the middle of three sons born to Abner and Beatrice Culpepper and his family attended The Village Church of Western Springs where Rev. Billy Graham was pastor and George Beverly Shea occasionally attended. At the age of 12, he accepted Christ as Savior at this church. John always spoke fondly of his childhood years in Western Springs where he played football in high school and loved sandlot baseball games with his friends. After high school, John made his way west to Arizona where he enjoyed riding horses and aviation even obtaining his private pilot’s license to fly small aircraft. John graduated from Arizona State University in 1962 with a degree in Business Administration and then spent 20 years working in the utility industry in Arizona, Illinois and Virginia. While in Virginia, his parents retired to Virginia Beach, VA so he especially enjoyed being close to them in their golden years. In the early 1980s, John was called into the ministry and he and his family relocated to Pennsylvania to attend seminary. He graduated from Biblical Theological Seminary (now Missio Seminary) in 1986 with MA and MDiv degrees. As a result of a senior year missions trip to Austria, John connected with the President of Tyndale Theological Seminary in Badhoevedorp, The Netherlands (suburb of Amsterdam) and he and his wife, Pansy, served at Tyndale in various capacities including office administrator, registrar, and admissions officer. After 10 or so years, John felt led to renew his spiritual connection to Christ as his roles at Tyndale were more administrative in nature, so he embarked on a doctorate degree. He completed his studies and graduated from Pensacola Christian College in 2006 with a PhD in Biblical Studies. Another interest John had was travel and he and Pansy had the opportunity over the years while in The Netherlands to visit many of the neighboring cities and countries in Europe notably Normandy, France (on the 50th anniversary of D-Day), Rome and Poland for another missions trip. They also had the opportunity to visit South Africa and Thailand for missions events. In total, John served at Tyndale alongside his wife for over 20 years before retiring to Delaware to be near his two daughters. John’s favorite verses were Proverbs 3:5-6, which he frequently recited: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight. John is survived by his wife of nearly 63 years, Pansy, whom he met and married while living in Arizona, three children, Susan, Tom (Lynette), and Janet (John), three grandchildren Jim, Rachel and Rebecca, his younger brother Jim (Judy) along with many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his father, mother and older brother, Richard. His family will miss him dearly, but they do not “mourn as those who have no hope” as written in 1 Thessalonians 4. A visitation will be held Saturday, March 9, 2024 at 10:00 AM at Bible Fellowship Church of Newark, 808 Old Baltimore Pike, Newark, DE 19702 followed by a memorial service at 11:00 AM where family and friends may get up and speak. For directions or to send an online condolence, visit stranofeeley.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bible Fellowship Church of Newark, with “Prime Timers” on the memo line, at 808 Old Baltimore Pike, Newark, DE 19702 or online at bfcnewarkde.org.