LONG BEACH – The communities of Ocean Park and Long Beach lost one of their well-loved seniors when Dariel Lorene Cullom, 84, died of natural causes on Feb. 14, 2010, at the home of her daughter in Long Beach. She was born on May 28, 1925, to Paul Walters and Katie Davis in Porter during the Great Depression.

Around the age of seven, she began to experience hearing loss leading to total deafness by age 11. She was subsequently sent to the Washington State School for the Deaf in Vancouver at age 12. Her ability to read lips was unmatched and she quickly transitioned to lip reading with normal speech rather than sign language. There she flourished and was chosen editor of her high school yearbook, “The Fir Cone,” in addition to many other awards and special accolades for teaching younger deaf children at the school.

After graduation she quickly found work helping a dear friend who was a war bride and new mother with a young child in Bremerton. She also worked part-time in war effort projects in Bremerton where she met her eventual husband, Arlyn K. Cullom, a skilled welder at the shipyard there.

The couple married in 1942 and began their life in Bremerton but later moved to Kelso for work. They began a family there, ultimately settling in Vader for 55 years where they built a Pacific Northwest lifestyle that included owning and operating a logging mill, machine shop and Vader Motors. They were avid fishermen both in sport and commercial salmon fishing for more than 21 years. In their earlier years together, Mrs. Cullom even tapped into her inherited lumberjack abilities by setting chokers for her husband while he logged. The two became known as Mr. and Mrs. “Pee Wee” by fishing buddies from Westport and Ilwaco, though they had friends from around the world. The pair traveled extensively throughout Europe, the U.S., Mexico, the former USSR, and Oceania. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by climbing to the top, then sliding to the bottom, of Ayers Rock in Australia.

She continued correspondence with friends she made over the years.

She was active in the community and in her children’s lives. She attended football games, musical concerts, fundraisers, and scout meetings, always beaming and supportive. She was known throughout Vader and much of Lewis County for her self-taught cake design and decorating expertise, bringing extra income to the family. She was a long time member of the Vader Garden Club and the Eastern Star. Most of her time was spent gardening, canning, mowing lawn, getting the boat or motor home ready to go and caring for her family as well as a foster child, Gayla Steveson, of Vader.

After moving to Ocean Park in 1996, her life became more private. Her focus was more on reading, hanging baskets and sports of all kinds. She could still be seen rolling up her pants on the first day of clam season, getting her final limit at age 84. She died in peace with family love surrounding her and with appreciation for the marvelous life she had been given including her last 10 years in the friendly and genuine beach community of Ocean Park.

Survivors include sons, Michael Lee Cullom of Cathlamet, and Jerald Arlyn Cullom of Longview; a daughter, Laurie Ann Buscher of Long Beach; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a sister, Loretta Coats of Bremerton. Her brother, Dewey, preceded her in death.

No public services will be held. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to the South Pacific County Humane Society, P.O. Box 101 Long Beach, WA 98631. Arrangements by Penttila’s Chapel by The Sea Long Beach.