Alice Ann Cullens

Alice Ann Cullens, an incredible mother, grandmother, great grandmother, cousin and friend passed away peacefully after a second bout with breast cancer. She was the only child born to Hattie Bell Harris and Wyatt Lewis, (who both proceeded her in death), on July 23, 1940, in Georgetown, Kentucky. At the age of six, Alice and her parents moved to Indianapolis, and it became their permanent home.

Alice Ann, as she was affectionately called by her Georgetown family, accepted Christ at a young age and became a member of Barnes United Methodist Church. Alice had, what many would say, was a brilliant mind, so it was no surprise that she graduated from Crispus Attucks high school with honors, at just 16 years old. Though Alice was highly intelligent, she wasn’t a fan of school, so she chose not to pursue any kind of post-secondary education. Instead, she decided to take the civil service exam in hopes of being employed by the federal government. Of course she passed with flying colors and was hired as a key punch operator for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS).

DFAS or the “finance center” is where she met her husband Alonzo Cullens (who also preceded her in death). They had two children, Vanessa and David. Very early in their marriage, they moved to Evanston, Illinois, where they lived and raised their family for several years.

They eventually move back to Indianapolis and later divorced. Having a church home was always important, so Alice and her children soon joined Second Christian Church (later renamed Light of the World Christian Church). She was a devoted member there for a number of years.

Back in Indy, Alice was also able to resume her employment with DFAS, where she cultivated an illustrious and long career, moving through progressively more responsible positions, ultimately being promoted to a supervisory position, responsible for the administrative oversight of military officers at Fort Benjamin Harrison. Alice’s professionalism and work ethic were bar-none! She was highly regarded, respected and admired by her superiors, peers and subordinates, resulting in numerous awards and accolades. Alice retired from the federal government at the age of 55 after over 30 years of service! In her retirement, she took a small gig working at the jewelry department at Meijer where she also retired after 10 years.

In the early 2000s, Alice decided to join one of LWCC‘s “Timothys” at New Light Christian Church and eventually transferred her membership there. While at New Light, Alice re-dedicated her life to Christ and became one of the church’s, most faithful and active members. Even when the cancer prevented her from being physically present, she consistently attended services online and was always on their daily 6 AM prayer calls.

Alice loved life… Was unapologetically herself, and whatever she did, she did to the fullest! Alice was an avid book reader, crossword puzzle and Wordle fanatic, as well as a Bid Whist, Pass Your Trash and later, Monopoly Deal “QUEEN”! She also enjoyed traveling all over the country and taking cruises to the Caribbean.

Being an only child, Alice‘s friendships meant the world to her; many of them lifelong and could best be described as a sisterhood. Her close friends were often referred to as the “Golden Girls”. They did everything together… went to concerts, plays, church events, and traveled, but her favorite thing to do was laugh, talk and play Bid…oftentimes for hours on end! Actually, Alice's annual Christmas party was originally centered around Bid Whist!

All of that said, what Alice truly delighted in most was watching her grandkids grow up… Trey, Wesley, Lauren, and Evan were her everything! They will tell you, there were definitely rules to follow, but there was no place they’d rather be than at “Grammys”. Alice loved, loved, loved to laugh, and nothing “tickled” her more or gave her more joy than having a front row seat in their respective journeys. She would laugh WITH, and AT them (the rest of us too😉), often to the point of tears! And the laughter is what she would want us to remember…

Alice Ann “Grammy” leaves to cherish her memory, daughter, Vanessa McClendon (Allen); son, David Cullens; grandchildren Trey Cullens, Wesley McKinney (Jennifer), Lauren Isabell (Christopher), Evan Cullens (Ariana); great-grandchildren, Elena McKinney, Sage Isabell, and Malia McKinney; “like” daughters, Vicki Tanner and Tracy Ross; “like” grandson, Marc Hardy, and a host of other family and friends.