FULLERTON, Roger James 1925-2004

SCHNARTZ, FULLERTON, LAUDNER

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 2/17/2009 at 10:53:46

ROCKFORD, IOWA — Roger J. Fullerton, 78, 301 West Main, Rockford, died Saturday evening (May 1, 2004) at his home.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the First United Methodist Church, 21 Third St. N.W. in Rockford, with the Rev. Kenneth N. Kent, officiating. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery, Rockford, with the Walker-Graper Post of the American Legion and the North Iowa Detachment of the Marine Corps League conducting full military rites. “Semper Fi.” Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. today at the Fullerton Schumburg Funeral Home, 302 West Main in Rockford. Masonic Funeral Rites will be at 6:30 p.m. at the funeral home and are open to the public.

Roger James Fullerton was born at the telephone company office located in his aunt’s home in Rock Falls, one of two sons of Marc Anthony and Ida (Schnartz) Fullerton, on Dec. 23, 1925, as an early Christmas gift. He graduated from the Rockford High School in 1943 and then was called to serve his country in the United States Marine Corps on April 1, 1944.

He participated in zero-wave on Okinawa as an armored amphibian crewman with the First Armored Amphibian Battalion for three months from April until the end of June 1945. He served honorably until his discharge on May 28, 1946, from the Great Lakes Naval Center in Chicago.

One year and three months after his return to Rockford he was united in marriage to Maxine Faye Laudner on Aug. 1, 1947, in Rockford. Their honeymoon was delayed slightly due to losing the car keys in his pants cuff and blowing a tie rod. To this union were born two children, Anne and Jim. Roger served his community generously as a volunteer firefighter for 22 years, of which 14 were as the fire chief.

His tenacity also proved to be beneficial to serving his community for eight years on the Rockford City Council, as well as serving on the Rockford Area Development Board and the North Iowa Area Development Board. He was a life member of the First United Methodist Church in Rockford.

Roger served as an electrician apprentice with Virgil Mosher in1946 and then purchased the business in 1957. With a service-oriented philosophy he added plumbing, heating, air conditioning and sewer installation to the business. He purchased Carrot Hardware store in the early 1970s and added it to his current business and then added an insulation installation portion.

Roger had a creative mind and often solved difficult problems by thinking through them. Roger treated everyone as fair as he could often solving work-related problems over the phone at no charge He also challenged his family and friends by asking continuous questions until they came to think the same way he did. He and his wife retired in 2002 more from health problems than wanting to retire. Roger in his later years would find a little time to play “pop the pellet” or “drown a worm”.

He spent numerous hours fishing with his son, working on Masonic ritual, and would tease him about the size of his tackle box versus his small brown paper sack and who caught the most fish. In his early years he enjoyed hunting pheasants, rabbits and squirrels.

He was a 50-year member of the Rock-Sirius Masonic Lodge where he had served as the Worshipful Master as well as other offices. He also was a former member of the York and Scottish Rite and the Shrine. Roger followed the Democratic philosophy and would good-naturedly argue his points.

He was very proud of his children’s and grandchildren’s goals and accomplishments. Roger always had time to help someone with his or her problems but couldn’t always get the jobs done at home. He was an all-around good guy with a dry sense of humor.

Those thankful in sharing Roger’s life include his wife Maxine “Mick” of Rockford; one daughter, Anne C. and her husband, Stephen High, and their two children, Morgan and Taylor, all of Girard, Kan.; one son, James M. and his wife, Mary Nell Fullerton, and their son, Samuel, of Mason City; one sister-in-law, Shirley Fullerton, of Rockford; a host of in-laws on the Laudner side and many, many nieces and nephews.

His parents and his only brother, Lloyd Fullerton, preceded him in death.

Fullerton Schumburg Funeral Home, (641) 756-3311 www.fullertonfh.com

[Mason City Globe Gazette]