Phyllis Darlene Christian Cullop passed away in Vancouver, Washington, at the age of 85. She was born Aug. 23 1934, in Scobey, Montana. She was the 12th of 13 children born to Vern and Annie Christian. Verne had four previous children from his first wife, so there was a total of 17 children. The family moved to Elma, Washington, where she attended grade school and graduated Montesano High School in 1952.

After her father’s death, the family moved to Medford, where she met and married Donald Cullop in April 1954. They had one daughter, Gladys. Phyllis attended business school before opening her own business, Cullop’s Employment Agency. Soon she was offered a job she couldn’t refuse as the executive secretary for the chamber of commerce, one of her favorite jobs. Donald and Phyllis moved to Portland, where they ran several businesses, including The Wagon, a country western night spot, and the Ace of Diamonds. Phyllis loved running restaurants and gathering people together.

They moved to Ketchikan, Alaska, for more business opportunities in 1974. They owned many more businesses in Ketchikan, including The Anchor Inn, The Harbor Inn, The Helm, The Salty Sea Bakery, The Laundry Center, The Rainbow Gift Shop, The Pioneer, and Mr. C’ s. For each restaurant, Phyllis enjoyed writing a weekly menu and Gazette.

She was preceded in death by her husband in 2015. Following Donald’s death, she moved back to Montesano, where she lived the remainder of her life. A true child of the depression, Phyllis never forgot being poor. She loved the finer things in life. In every community she lived in, she took joy in bringing people together and feeding them good food. Phyllis passed away Oct. 2, 2019, following a series of strokes. She is survived by daughter Gladys and her husband Russell, her grandsons Chris and his wife Amanda, Mark and his wife Kristin, and six great-grandchildren, Jacob, Porter, Emma, Olivia, Lily and Amelia. She will be buried in Elma, Washington, next to Donald in the Masonic Cemetery.