Arthur Benjamin Curlis Fuller

Arthur Benjamin Curlis Fuller, 83, was born on August 4, 1940, to John and Mildred (Curlis) Fuller in Middletown, Ohio. Art is named after Mildred’s father. He passed away on January 14, 2024, at his home in Kennedale, Tx.

Art married his first wife Margaret Ann Cox. They had 4 children together. 

Art attended school in Middletown. During those years, he played football against Roger Staulbach in Cincinnati, basketball with Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas, and baseball at Findley College against Pete Rose. 

Art’s father John, Smokey, was hired by Armco Steel and was an integral player on their baseball team. Art worked at Armco Steel the summer before joining the Navy on September 30, 1960. After recruit training at Great Lakes, Illinois, and student training in Memphis, Tennessee, he was assigned to aviation in Lejes, Azores. He asked, “Where is this?” “Don’t know,” was the response. 

Before traveling to Azores, he was assigned to guard Officer’s Club for 2 weeks in Charleston, South Carolina. The ladies working there took him under their wing, feeding him all the hamburgers and fries he could eat. 

Art continued playing baseball. His small Navy group won many competitions, which enriched many officers. His squadron was VP-16.

From Azores, he landed in Jacksonville, Florida. On December 24, 1964, while flying down over a ship, they lost an engine. As a crew for some time, not one hand touched another as they pulled the plane up from the dive to the ocean. While doing his part, glancing at the altimeter, they were about 100 ft from the ocean when the plane steadied, and they were able to pull it up. Upon landing, they QUIT, but flew the next day. He often stated that he couldn’t believe the Navy would give a 20 something year old a plane. Since he was a Plane Captain, the plane was his. 

After the Navy, he followed Mike and Bunkie Presley to Dallas, Texas. Mike’s dad steered Art to Southwestern Bell, where he was hired on September 18, 1962. He worked there until retirement in 1991. During his time there, he quit once. He was promoted to Supervisor over Riverside frame where most of the employees were new. He managed 2 local movie theatres and sold life insurance at Southwestern Life Insurance Co, where he made the Million Dollar Round Table all 3 years that he was there. SWB called him back and he was hired as a Contractor.

One of his latest passions was restoring Oldsmobile cars, especially Cutlass. He bragged to a car buddy once, “Yeah, I have about 35 out here on acreage,” he didn’t realize his wife, Jennene, was standing behind him. The Corvette club and the Chevy Club ended up giving way to the Oldsmobile Club. 

He worked hard as a kid, receiving a penny for each bale of hay pulled from the field. As a student, he sang in school plays such as Oklahoma. He played hard too. As an adult he played on the Bell baseball teams, the truckers, and others. 

He cared greatly for his friends and family, even if not communicating it very well. There are stories of each and every one of his loved ones, told many times. 

Art is preceded in death by his late wife, Margaret Ann Cox; children, Baby Fuller, Melissa Fuller, Eric Fuller; parents, John and Mildred Fuller; and siblings, Betty, Ruth, and Richard. 

Art is survived by his wife of 35 years Jennene Fuller, sons, John Franklin, wife Michele and their children, Ethan and Emily, and Ronald Edward Fincher Jr and wife Jane.