Sue McCully, of Muscle Shoals, has led a life of service, dedication and Christian love. Family, friends, faith and her life work of teaching and helping others are the priorities in McCully’s busy life.

“I am most thankful to have been reared in a Christian home,” she said. She was born and raised in Fayette. There, she met and married her late husband of 55 years, Paul McCully, who was teaching at that time.

“In 1960, after Paul finished 10 years in the Navy, we moved to Key West, where he taught sixth grade,” she said. “Three years later, he accepted a job as principal of Howell Graves Elementary School. Seven years later, when our three sons, Steve, Dan and Jeff, were all in school, I began teaching at Highland Park Elementary in Muscle Shoals and stayed for 27 years.”

Paul earned two degrees from the University of Alabama, and she earned her bachelor of arts degree at Auburn University and her master’s degree at the University of North Alabama.

“We really had fun during football season when Auburn played Alabama,” McCully said. “I watched the games in our living room, and Paul listened to them on the radio in the garage. He’d rather have heard the game than hear me yelling for Auburn.”

In the 1960s, McCully was asked to serve as the first chairwoman for the newly organized United Way of Muscle Shoals.

“My Bridge club made up part of the team, and that year, we exceeded our goal by 300 percent,” she said.

In 1984, she helped organize the Friends of the Library of Muscle Shoals and served on its board of directors for several years.

McCully worked as a volunteer at the Colbert Caring Center in Tuscumbia, helping to provide clothing, food, gas and medical care to the less fortunate. Delivering Meals on Wheels was another of her passions.

McCully also continued to excel in the educational field. She is listed in the books, “Outstanding Elementary Teachers of America” and “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.” She also was nominated for Teacher of the Year in Alabama.

Perhaps nothing touches her heart more than her church. McCully is a charter member of First United Methodist Church of Muscle Shoals and was the church organist for 27 years. She teaches the senior adult Sunday school class. She has served as president of the United Methodist Women on the local level and as a district officer.

“I still do church work by visiting the sick and shut-ins, and I get more than I give,” she said. “It is so rewarding and helps me grow spiritually.”