Evelyn “Evie” Irene Fuller was born November 19, 1927, in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Clarence and Edith Borders. She was the oldest of four and their only girl. At the age of five, she accompanied her father to the family farm in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri to make the property livable for the family. She grew up on this farm with her brothers and her mother who cooked fresh foods grown on the farm. After spending most of her early life in Missouri, the family moved to Vancouver, Washington during World War II so Clarence could work at the Kaiser Shipyard building ships for the war effort. Evie graduated high school in Vancouver, Washington where she started working at the shipyards and then the telephone company. During this time, she met her husband Richard “Dick” Fuller at a dance hall when he returned from World War II. They were married in a small ceremony on July 3, 1946.

Together they lived up and down the West Coast and Hawaii as Dick worked and ran several businesses. They had three boys: Sam, Rick, and David. In the late 1960s Evie started college and eventually earned her teaching credential as well as a master’s degree in education from Cal Poly Pomona. She taught many ages, but her favorite class was the sixth graders. She made them feel like adults and was always proud of her connection with kids and how fondly she was remembered by many former students. After retiring from teaching, she continued to be a lifelong learner and educator, always looking for opportunities to learn new skills, crafts, and information, and share them with her grandchildren.

In 1988 Evie and Dick purchased a property in McKinleyville overlooking Clam Beach and the Pacific Ocean. She loved being able to see the sunset and smell the salty air from her front porch. They split their time between the house in McKinleyville during the summers and a place in Desert Hot Springs during the winters before they moved full time to McKinleyville. After Dick’s passing in 2003, Evie started volunteering at the McKinleyville Senior Center, where she continued to work until she was 93. She also took advantage of OLLI through Cal Poly Humboldt, taking many history, art, and nature classes. She loved walking and always signed up for the fundraising walks, often winning awards as she was one of the only participants in her age group.

She was a loving grandmother and great-grandmother, a supporter of local theater, a crime show and Court TV fan, an artist, a story teller, a caregiver, and an accomplished home cook. She was fiercely independent and told jokes right up to the end.

She passed away on March 11, 2024. She will be missed by her family, but her long life will live on in the memories we have. The family would like to thank Timber Ridge McKinleyville and Hospice of Humboldt for their compassion and support during this last year.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers, her husband, and her son Sam. She is survived by her son Rick (Glenda) of Upland, California, her son David (Karen) of Eureka, her seven grandchildren, and her nine great-grandchildren.

A memorial will be planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers please donate to the McKinleyville Senior Center and Hospice of Humboldt.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Evie Fuller’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.