Obit of Fuller, John F - Payne County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Gene Phillips 17 Feb 2008 Return to Payne County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/payne/payne.html ===================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ===================================================================== ::NOT LISTED John F. FULLER John Frederick Fuller died on Thursday, September 6, 2007 of natural causes. Born on April 22, 1916 in Stillwater, OK to John McElroy Fuller and Elsie Kate Bissell, he was raised in Durham, NH. John excelled as an academic, and he skipped 4 grades in school but he was also a lifelong athlete. An alumnus of Phillips Academy in Andover, MA, John was on the championship tennis and soccer teams. After graduating from Phillips Academy in 1933, John attended the University of Wyoming where he majored in journalism and was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. In 1943 John joined the U.S. Navy where he studied navigation. Before he had completed his studies, he was called to active duty to board a ship as the chief navigator to find a ship in distress off the East Coast in open waters. With no radar to aid him, John guided the ship through a dense fog to within 1,000 yards of the disabled ship. From 1943 through 1945, John served with the 96th SeaBees under Admiral Nimitz in the Philippines and China. He had the distinct honor to serve as the semaphore on his ship. John loved the mountains and downhill skiing. He was a long-time member of the Professional Ski Instructors Association in the Pacific Northwest where he was only one of 14 PSIA professionals to receive recognition for his accomplishments. John was co-head of the Edmonds Ski School for 20 years. He was also a long-time member of the Seattle Casualty Adjusters, Masonic Century Lodge #208 where he was past Master, the Mountaineers and a member of REI since 1948. John was also on the King County Library Board and a member of a short wave radio club. The greatest love in his life was his wife, Maxine, who preceded him in death in 1986. John and Maxine met through mutual friends who discovered they were born on the same day of the same year, and recommended they go on a date. They married in 1940, and together they shared an enthusiastic appreciation and deep respect for the outdoors and the environment with their 3 children -- snow skiing, hiking, camping, fishing, sailing, kayaking, golfing and flying. John was also known to frequently read a book a night when he didn't have a meeting or wasn't tying flies for a day of fishing. He was inquisitive with a strong desire to learn that continued throughout his lifetime. Family and friends knew they could rely on John to consistently demonstrate values that were fundamental to his character - love and loyalty, integrity, honesty, fair-mindedness, courage, wisdom, and an ever- present sharp wit. The years with John are a gift that will always be cherished by his family and by those who had the privilege of sharing his life with him. John is survived by his son, Jeremy and wife, Debra of Federal Way, WA, twin daughter, Virginia Brock and husband, Jack of Houston, TX, twin daughter, Roberta Frankenfield of Bellevue, WA, and sister, Dorothy Barboza and husband, Ben of Napa, CA, 8 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Published in print on 9/23/2007. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Payne County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/payne/payne.html