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Surrounded by family, Doctor Randall William "Randy" Culp, 68, passed away peacefully on July 31, 2024 at Geisinger Medical Center in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, after a sudden unexpected illness.
Randy lived life to its fullest, sharing his wisdom and good humor with his family and all who knew him. As a renowned hand surgeon, Randy enhanced the lives of countless parents with complex orthopedic problems, from professional athletes to those suffering in underprivileged countries.
Randy was born on April 4, 1956 in Wheeling, West Virginia to William and Elsie Noble Culp, the second youngest of five children. He graduated in 1974 at the top of his class from Manheim Township High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he was an all-County athlete as quarterback of the championship football team and left fielder of the championship baseball team. Randy graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1978 with a degree in chemistry from the College of William and Mary, where he also played on the rugby team.
Randy graduated from the Penn State College of Medicine at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in 1982 and completed his residency and hand fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Operating primarily out of the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Randy achieved
prominent success as an orthopedic surgeon, specializing particularly in hand surgery, including complex joint reconstruction and management of severed nerves. He researched and published extensively, contributing innumerable surgical innovations to his profession. He treated numerous athletes, including those from all of the Philadelphia sports teams as well as those from Penn State, Villanova and other universities. In recent years, Randy had moved his practice to Geisinger Medical Center in Wilkes Barre, with the notion that he might transition towards retirement but found that his services remained in constant demand, and passed in the hospital where he still worked as a surgeon.
Randy generously donated his surgical talents where they were most needed. After completing his residency, he served as a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, joining the staff at the Naval Hospital in Oakland, California. In 1991, during Operation Desert Storm, Randy served for nine months in the Persian Gulf on the U.S. Naval hospital ship Mercy. In his private practice, he frequently donated surgical services to those in need. He annually led volunteer medical professionals to travel to underprivileged
nations, most recently Honduras and Peru, to perform otherwise unavailable surgical procedures for families in need. As Randy said, "It is truly rewarding to see the face of a mother whose child will gain functionality in their hands, something they never had before. We see a lot of hardworking men who have untreated injuries, some which have prevented them from being able to use their entire arm. We can repair many of the injuries, allowing these husbands and fathers to provide for their families."
Randy met his wife, Elizabeth "Beth" Jenkins Culp at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where Beth was a nurse. Beth was a kindred spirit from a warm, giving family who shared Randy's passion for life, and the fun-loving couple married in 1986. They have raised three children who survive him. In her father's tradition, Anne Culp is a veterinarian in Burlington, Vermont, married to Will Clavelle, with a daughter Camille. Randy and Beth's twin son Will Culp, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, is married to Aubree Culp, and they have a son Henry and a daughter Quinn. Randy and Beth's other twin son Jonathan Culp, Hunlock Creek, Pennsylvania, is married to Mackenzie Culp and they have a son Jay and a daughter Rylie. Randy and Beth's five grandchildren (with a sixth on the way) are all four years of age or under, including two born just this year, and it is heartbreaking that they could not have more years with their grandfather.
Randy was predeceased by his parents, William and Elsie Culp, and his brothers Dave and Barry Culp. He is survived by his sister Nancy Culp Sajeski (Eugene) of Hummelstown, PA and his brother Robert Culp (Vivian Linares) of Garrison, NY, along with seven nieces and nephews on the Culp side. Randy was also the beloved brother-in-law of Beth's siblings, David Jenkins (Caroline), Doylestown, PA, Edward Jenkins (Susan), Harveys Lake, PA, Mary Jenkins Bahner (Eric), Emerald Isle, NC, and William Jenkins III (Stacy), Dallas, PA, along with twelve nieces and nephews on the Jenkins side.
Family and friends joined in a private celebration of life at the Huntsville Country Club, Dallas, PA, on Sunday August, 4, 2024.
Randy's family is forming the Randall W. Culp Foundation to establish educational scholarships in Randy's honor and memory for young adults demonstrating excellence and passion for the sciences. In lieu of flowers please make a contribution to the Foundation. Checks can be mailed to 148 Lakeside Drive, Hunlock Creek, PA 18621 until the website with online payment capability is established. For more information, please visit randallwculpfoundation.com
Arrangements are by the Curtis L. Swanson Funeral Home, Inc., corner of routes 29 and 118, Pikes Creek.
Online condolences can be made at clswansonfuneralhome.com
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