Cullen 'Buddy' Gatlin Jr., 59

Cullen "Buddy" Gatlin Jr., 59, passed away in Kootenai, Idaho, on Wednesday, July 12, 2006.

Services will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, July 17, 2006, at Coffelt's Funeral Chapel, 109 N. Division St., Sandpoint, Idaho. Charles Verkist will be officiating.

Cullen S. Gatlin Jr. was born Nov. 16, 1946, in Pulaski, Tenn., the son of Cullen Sr. and Clara Gatlin. He was raised in Wayne and Lawrence County, Tenn. He graduated from Lawrence County High School in 1965.

Upon graduation, he served four years active duty in the U.S. Navy, of which 3 1/2 years were on board the submarine USS Trutta, SS421.

After his four years of active duty, he returned to Lawrenceburg, Tenn. There, he met and married Carolyn Ann McAfee. From that marriage, four children were born. He attended the Pulaski Vocational Technical College. He also attended the Nashville School of Preaching and graduated from there in December 1976.

In January 1977, he and his family moved from Lawrenceburg to Bonners Ferry as a missionary with the Bonners Ferry Church of Christ. In 1982, he and his family moved to Sandpoint as evangelist for the Sandpoint Church of Christ. In 1988, he began serving as evangelist of the Bonner County Church of Christ and served in that capacity until the time of his death.

While serving as evangelist of the Sandpoint Church of Christ and Bonner County Church of Christ, he was not fully supported by the church. Therefore, he worked at secular jobs to provide for his family. These jobs included the U.S. Forest Service (Sandpoint Ranger District) as an engineering draftsman. He then worked at Welch Engineering as an engineering and survey technician. His last place of employment was with Glahe and Associates as a survey technician.

On Dec. 30, 1999, he beloved wife, Carolyn, of 28 years was called home. She had a form of cancer known as mesothelioma.

Almost six years after the death of Carolyn, Buddy met Sandy Greer in July 2004 and they were united in marriage on Jan. 15, 2005.

We hope this very brief story of his life will give you a little insight into Buddy's life.

He is survived by his wife, Sandy Greer-Gatlin; four children, Chad (Jackie) Gatlin, Charylvada (James) Christy, Chantay Sponaugle and Chrystal (Joseph) Rafferty; two sisters, Mary Woody and Pearl Douglass; a brother, George Gatlin; seven grandchildren; and many friends.

He was well loved and will be greatly missed. He was everybody's "Buddy."

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Coffelt Funeral Service of Sandpoint.