HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Services were held Friday morning for Jon Culley. The 33-year veteran of the Reno County Sheriff’s Department died at his home Sept. 11 at the age of 59.
Law enforcement and officials from around the area were on hand to remember a man who had a great sense of humor. Detective Diana Skomal, who worked with Culley her entire career, says he always had a good story to tell. “When he started telling stories, he would always go way back in the day. It always started out with, ‘it all started in 1986,'” Skomal said. “His stories were never short, they were always very detailed and lengthy and it was always like, sit back and buckle up cause you’re in for a long one.”
“He was a guy you could always count on,” Sheriff Randy Henderson said. “He kept a lot of humor going, which we needed sometimes.”
Culley, or JC as he was known, was also talented with a pen. “He was also an amazing artist or cartoonist when I worked with him on patrol. He would do little caricatures and cartoons to make fun of events that took place,” Skomal said. “Sometimes other officers were the demise of the funny little jokes, but he was quite the artist.”
Culley also had another talent that was on the more serious side in his tireless work handling juvenile cases and crimes. Skomal said Culley worked with numerous agencies to take action against those who committed child-related crimes. He took a proactive approach by serving on various boards and had close relationships with those agencies. He was also one of the negotiators for the department’s special ops unit during crisis situations. “JC has negotiated more than any of us. JC could talk to anybody and, like I said, I don’t think he ever met anybody that he couldn’t find a way to talk to them,” Skomal noted. “So that will also be missed. That’s a talent you take for granted when you have him, but you’ll sure miss it when you need him.”
Culley began his career with the Reno County Sheriff’s Department in 1986. His career spanned 33 years with the Reno County Sheriff’s Department. During the summers, he also worked as a ranger at Cheney State Park. JC was a member of FOP Lodge #18. He enjoyed riding his motorcycle, hunting, fishing, grilling and going to his cabin at Kanopolis Lake. JC’s passion was helping others and making the world a better place.
His flag-draped casket was escorted by a countless number of patrol vehicles to his burial place in the small town of Kanopolis. Memorials may be made to the Reno County Sheriff’s FOP Lodge #18 in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.