Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

November 10, 2024

CHARLOTTE – Peggy Culbertson devoted her life to making this a better world in all the ways that she could. With her husband Bob, she raised four children to care about their community. She fought for social justice and racial understanding.  She worked to preserve the environment, sustain the arts, open doors for women and celebrate the courage it takes to shape the world for good.

Shaping the world for good. That's what she did until the day she died, Sunday, November 10, 2024, after a brief illness.  Peggy was 92 and all who knew her appreciated that she seized the day, every one of them.

Peggy grew up in Jackson, Ala., the youngest of four girls born to Julian and Ruth Barrow.  Her father, who managed a large wood veneer mill, died early.  Showing the sort of drive that distinguished her through life, she worked her way through Auburn University, where she got a great education and a lot more: she met her husband at a Beaux Arts Ball.  As soon as they began to dance that evening, she knew that he was the one.  She also liked the fact that he was smart, wore dark rimmed glasses, carried a slide rule and was president of his fraternity.  They were married in 1955, and shared 70 fulfilling years, always eager to learn new things. Peggy, in fact, earned a Master’s degree in Psychology at age 60, and maintained a counseling practice in Charlotte.

The Culbertsons settled in Charlotte in 1962, where Peggy immediately became passionately involved in public education and the arts, human services and Christ Episcopal Church.  At Christ Church, in 1964, she started a volunteer program for students at Villa Heights Elementary School whose families had been uprooted by urban renewal in Second Ward.  While school busing stirred others on their side of town to send their children to private schools, the Culbertsons proudly kept their kids in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, each one riding the bus at some point for the privilege of attending school with children from other backgrounds and neighborhoods. 

Peggy was always interested and active in politics.  When Jimmy Carter was running for President, she chaired the Mecklenburg “Carter for President” Committee.  Peggy was the first woman to Chair the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission; served 12 years as a trustee at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte and later served as a Trustee Emeritus; founded The Catawba Society at Catawba Lands Conservancy, reflecting her determination to preserve God’s good earth; and helped establish the North Carolina Committee of the National Museum of Woman in Arts in Washington, D.C.  Their love of the arts led the Culbertsons to found the Peggy and Bob Culbertson Learning Center of the Mint Museum of Art Craft+Design, which hosted small art classes.  Among the other organizations that benefited from Peggy’s support: N.C. Humanities Council and The Charlotte Ballet.  Because of her interest in land use planning, she was appointed to the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport Advisory Board, serving for six years.  Among her honors, she was named Charlotte Woman of the Year in 2007, with her friend Joan Zimmerman. 

In 2005, Peggy released "Southern Sampler," a powerful collection that highlighted the stories of courageous Southern women who triumphed over sexism and societal challenges.  While not autobiographical, the book resonated with readers, as one reviewer noted, “Peggy Culbertson clearly understands her subject...because she lived it.”  A decade later, her memoir "White Girl," published in 2015, offered an intimate look at her own upbringing in the Deep South from 1932 to 1955.  Through vivid storytelling, she captured the complexities of race and identity during a time of significant social change.

Peggy is survived by her husband, Robert (Bob); her three children, Ewell Culbertson II and his wife, Lauren of Delta, CO., Laura Thomas and her husband, Robert (Bob), of Weddington, and John Culbertson and his wife, Leslie, of Charlotte; ten grandchildren, Kenneth (Bobby) Samuelson III and his wife, McKinsey, David Samuelson and his wife, Courtney, Joy Bennett and her husband, Chad, and Amos Culbertson and his wife, Olivia, Rosa Culbertson, and her husband Andrew, Bruce Thomas, Robert Thomas, McRae Culbertson, Luke Culbertson, Julian Culbertson; and ten great-grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by her beloved daughter, Ruth Samuelson, survived by Ruth's husband, Ken of Charlotte.

A service to celebrate Peggy’s life will be held at 1:30 PM on Friday, November 22, 2024, at Christ Episcopal Church, 1412 Providence Road.  The family will receive friends following the service in the Blue Room.  The service will be livestreamed at:  https://christchurchcharlotte.org/watch-live-funerals/.  Per her instructions, she will be cremated.

A gift in Peggy’s memory can be made to Catawba Lands Conservancy, 2400 Park Road, Suite 1, Charlotte, NC 28203. (www.catawbalands.org)

In a life blessed by longevity, Peggy Culbertson raised four children with independent spirits, then got to dote on grandchildren and great grandchildren.  With a loving husband, she traveled the world, enjoyed the many friends she made along the way, and woke up each day with one cause or another to lift up.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.