Dr. Matt McCullough

DR. MATT MCCULLOUGH

Ankeny

Dr. Matt McCullough, 48,

of Ankeny, passed away Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, after living courageously with sarcoma cancer for over five years. Funeral services will be held Sunday, Dec. 1, at Christian Life Center-Ankeny First United Methodist Church, 710 NE 36th St., Ankeny, IA 50021. The family will begin receiving visitors at 1 p.m. followed by a 3 p.m. service. From 1 to 3 p.m., there will be a home video shown while guests can share in fellowship.

Matthew James McCullough was born Oct. 2, 1971, in Humboldt, Iowa, to Jim and Pat McCullough joining his big brother, Gregg. After spending his early years in Boone, the family moved to Ankeny when Matt was 9 years old, where he attended Southeast Elementary, Neveln Middle School and graduated with honors from Ankeny High School in 1990. Matt was a lover of all sports playing baseball, football and basketball. His picture is still displayed to this day at Ankeny High School for All-State Honors in football, alongside his brother Gregg's picture for All-State basketball and now his own daughter, Sara as her picture is now displayed alongside her dad and uncle for All-State basketball.

Matt graduated from the University of Iowa in 1994 with his bachelor's degree and the University of Iowa, College of Dentistry in 1998 with his Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree (DDS). Matt was in the Iowa Army National Guard from 1996 to 2004, where he served as a dentist at Camp Anaconda in Balad, Iraq, just north of Baghdad in 2003, and served for a three-year term on the Iowa Dental Board. In the summer of 2019, Matt was inducted into the Ankeny Alumni Hall of Honor.

Matt met his wife, Brea (Whaley) in college. They married June 20, 1998, in Mount Pleasant at Oakland Mills Community Church. They moved to Ankeny, where they grew their family and started a dental practice, Ankeny Dental Professionals P.C. Matt loved everything about his profession and cared tirelessly for his patients and employees. There was no mountain that he could not climb and nothing that could stop him from always choosing to not only live, but lead with integrity while doing the right thing always. Matt showed us how to always choose forgiveness and live with grace and dignity above all. He expected the same of those he surrounded himself with and you tended to raise your standards because of his lead. If you were privileged to know him or be in his loving presence, your life was better. Anyone who knew Matt, knew that he would never speak ill will of anyone under any circumstances and that character was seen to the very end even with regard to his cancer. His niceness was not to be mistaken for weakness. He accepted this was the hand that he was dealt and he played it beautifully the entire time, beautiful like his soul. He truly beat cancer by how he lived with it as well as it never stopped him from being the dedicated family man and leader within the community that we could count on to be our rock. His kindness was seen in his eyes to the very end. He loved everyone and we loved him.

Matt is survived by his wife, Brea; and their three children, Sara (18), Brady (15) and Troy (11); his parents, Jim and Pat McCullough of Ankeny; his brother, Dr. Gregg McCullough (Darci, Madi, Cody, Cade) of Ankeny; his in-laws, Rick and Carla Chimienti of Ankeny (Kari and Andrea); and father-in-law, Donnie Whaley (Sally and Mollie) of Coralville.

Matt was preceded in death by his infant sister, Jennifer; maternal grandparents, Milford and Irene Juhl of Boone; and paternal grandparents, Bob and Grace McCullough of Ames.

In lieu of flowers, the family ask that you please consider donating blood because that was life sustaining for Matt during his last months and for so many others. We will be working on organizing a future blood drive in his honor. www.lifeservebloodcenter.org/

Online at www.MemorialServicesOfIowa.com.