Our beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother Maureen Fulmor Yarnall, died on October 18 in Eureka at the age of 90. She kept her sense of humor, appreciation for adventure, and love of family until her final days.

Maureen Fulmor was born to Ted and Nora Fulmor on February 11, 1933 in Anaconda, Montana. She was the second of three daughters and spoke fondly of a childhood fishing and hiking with her dad. Her early years included proper Easter dresses in the snow, medals won for skiing, ice skating on the flooded town baseball field every winter, and summers at the Twin Lakes cabin with her family. One of her favorite places in the world was the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness area where Maureen and her dad forged many great memories and where they taught her boys to love wild places. While Anaconda was a small town in Montana, her love of travel and deep desire to see and taste the world was present from an early age.

Maureen enrolled at the University of Montana in 1951. It was there that she met John Yarnall, a fellow university student from New Jersey. She and Jack were married in 1953, celebrating their 70th anniversary in August. A pilot in the Air Force, Jack was stationed in Bryan, Texas, where their first son, Jeffrey was born in 1954. Maureen spoke of being pregnant in the Texas heat and longing to get home to colder climates. They moved to Great Falls, Montana where her twins James and John were born in 1956. Some of Maureen’s most cherished memories were watching her boys have the same childhood Montana adventures that she too had had with her family. After their return to Montana, she resumed her college education and completed her degree in early childhood education.

She moved to Palo Alto in 1963 and relocated to Pacific Grove in 1965. While Jack was enrolled in graduate school, Maureen taught Head Start preschool, worked in the Macy’s china department, picked strawberries, and wandered the beaches with her boys. Jack’s research took them to Hawaii for a summer, where she “was in the best shape of my life because the waves just pounded my legs into shape.” They eventually settled in Freshwater, California in 1969 on property she bought at first sight because she knew it would be perfect for her and her family. She remained a cornerstone of the Freshwater community until this year.

She served on the Garfield School Board 1973-1981 and was an organizing member of C.O.W. (Community of Wrangletown), the group that raised funds and oversaw restoration of the little red schoolhouse and published Freshwater Chronicle and Cookery in 1976. Maureen was a loyal Grange Breakfast attendee for decades. While she was firmly rooted in Freshwater, she traveled at every opportunity. She visited six continents, walked on China’s Great Wall, swam in the Red Sea, went on safari in Africa, zip-lined in Costa Rica, and immersed herself in Navajo culture. She and Jack spent many summers at the family cabin in Central Pennsylvania and enjoyed years of travel to the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. She simply didn’t say no to an adventure near or far.

Maureen was an avid bridge player and a life master in the American Contract Bridge League. For years she traveled to tournaments throughout the Western United States and formed some of her closest friendships through her weekly bridge games. She taught bridge lessons for adults and to her grandchildren and other students at elementary school clubs. A hiker and skier from the earliest age, she enjoyed the outdoors her whole life. When her boys were in high school, Maureen often rounded up a group of their friends and transported them to Horse Mountain for a day on the slope, or spent many a weekend in Mount Shasta skiing with a group of teenagers. A few years later she taught her grandchildren to ski. Taught how to fish when young, she never lost the fun in seeing what she could catch. She rarely said no to a day on the ocean with her son Jim. She displayed her half-marathon and 10K medals with pride -they were, “nicely organized hikes.” She encouraged her grandchildren to join her in many a fun run and hiked for years with her weekly Arcata-based group of seniors. She picked up white water kayaking in her 60s and had a knack for picking the roughest line through larger rapids. Swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, soaking in a hot spring, or water aerobics in Arcata Pool - being in or near water was a passion.

Maureen was patient, kind, and loved to watch children grow and learn. Her grandchildren were the center of her world for many years. She met school buses, stayed home with sick kids, drove to sports practices, and clapped loudly in the front row of every performance. She fostered imagination, confidence, and always led with yes, or “give it a try.” Her home was the heart of many Christmas celebrations, New Years parties, and Halloween extravaganzas for family and the community. She baked countless pies with apples grown in her own yard. She always set a proper table, and told her grandchildren that “one day they may need to dine with the queen,” - yet she was never rigid. Spilled drinks were quickly cleaned and messes were a sign of business and family. Her love for children inspired her to become involved in Humboldt Big Brothers/Big Sisters where she mentored teens as a generous, loving big sister. Maureen valued friendship throughout her life and collected friends of all ages. She leaves behind many who appreciated her thoughtful, loyal love and attention.

Maureen is survived by her husband Jack of Freshwater, her sister Marjorie Marcotte of Anaconda, Montana, her sons Jeffrey (Dona) of Tualatin, Oregon, James (Brenda) of Eureka, California, and John (Kristi) of Silverton, Oregon. Her grandchildren Jason, Julie, Kaitlin (Shikhin), Megan (Will), Michael (Lindsey), and Luke. Her six great-grandchildren came in two groups, Jacob, Joshua, and Ava followed almost 10 years later by James, Madeline, and Samira. Those “pandemic babies” were her special joy the last few years. She is predeceased by her elder sister, Phyllis Stark.

Maureen’s family wishes to thank Frye’s Care Home for the exceptional care and attention that she received the past year and to Hospice of Humboldt for attending to her every need in her final weeks. A memorial will be held on Dec. 2 at the Freshwater Grange at 12 p.m. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Garfield Elementary School or The Freshwater Grange.