James Manuel "Lefty" Fuller's Obituary
A memorial service for James Manuel “Lefty” Fuller will be Monday, May 14, 2018, at 1 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Longview, Texas, where he joined as a young boy when he walked the aisle to profess his belief in Jesus with his sister Patsy. His ashes will be buried next to his grandparents Amanda Vandora “Vannie” Smith and Will Lee Fuller in the Judson First Baptist Church Cemetery, Longview, Texas. Visitation will be at Rader Funeral Home on Sunday, May 13, 2018, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. He passed away on Thursday, May 10, 2018, at home surrounded by loved ones. He was born in Longview, Texas, on September 30, 1930, to a pioneer and political family. His parents Jane Callaway and James Ollie Manuel “Mann” Fuller and his sisters Ollie Jane Clemens, Ada Laverne Lyon and Patsy Whitehurst Robertson precede him in death.
Lefty graduated in 1948 from Longview High School where he made All-State in baseball and All-District in football. He was very proud of the fact he played guard on the 1947 team which held their opponents scoreless for nine straight games and then won the next three games to advance to the state semi-finals. The Lobos lost that game after the majority of the team became ill with food poisoning. Lefty was the last surviving starter of that team. On the baseball team he was a left-handed first baseman, thus acquiring his nickname Lefty. He and his teammates and classmates remained close throughout their lives and later met each year at the Maco Stewart Golf Tournament honoring their high school coach.
After high school Lefty attended Kilgore Jr. College and enjoyed a short stint at North Texas College before joining the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, where he served as a 3rd Class Storekeeper in Norman, Oklahoma, from 1951-1955. He then attended East Texas Baptist College until 1956 when at the age of 26 he was appointed Gregg County Treasurer after the death of his father, who had been the Gregg County Tax Assessor Collector. Lefty immensely enjoyed serving the people of Gregg County as Treasurer for 30 years, working at the courthouse, just a few blocks from the house on Fredonia Street where he was born. In 1989, at the age of 58, he went back to East Texas Baptist University and earned a Bachelor’s degree in General Business and Public Administration.
In his younger years Lefty was an active member of the community, serving in the Longview Chamber of Commerce, President of the Longview Jr. Chamber of Commerce, Jaycee of the Year, and a member of Knights of Pythias for over 60 years. As County Treasurer he served as President of the County Treasurers’ Association of Texas, Director of the National Association of County Treasurers and Finance Officers, and Outstanding County Treasurer of Texas nominee.
Lefty Fuller left a legacy of love for his family and friends. He lived a full life of fun and fellowship. He had a good run, enjoying the Cowboys, the Rangers, Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke and Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith Show with the volume turned up. LOUD! REALLY LOUD! He enjoyed Willie Nelson and Happy Hour and games of cards and dominoes with friends. He hunted quail, dove, deer, and catfish. He cleaned, cooked and ate his quarry. Unhurried, he approached life with a mellow spirit, an easy familiarity with his surroundings. He was comfortable in his own skin. Lefty was an affable presence who enjoyed a party and a good time with his friends, old and new, the young ones and not-so-young ones alike. He was genuinely loved and is greatly missed.
Left to cherish their memories of Lefty are his wife of 44 years, Beckie Satterwhite Fuller; his children, Jamie Ann Fuller of Dallas, TX, and William Mann Fuller, Amanda Ann “Mandie” Fuller, and Jesse James Fuller all of Longview, TX; grandson Wylie James Fuller, and many extended family members who all loved him dearly.
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