Constance Marie Fuller
1923-2018
(Constance) Marie Fuller nee Turtle passed away peacefully on Tuesday May 29 in Edmonton. She was predeceased by her brothers Leonard, William, Robert and George and a sister Elise as well as by her beloved husband of 62 years William A. Fuller. She is survived by her sister Barbara and her children Karen (Richard), Jim (Nancy), Kathy (Tom), and Gordon (Catherine) as well as grandchildren Nicolas, Tobias, Alexandra, Jonathan, Giles, Matthew and Nathan, and great-children Xavier and Rami.
Marie was born December 11, 1923, following her mother’s wintry sleigh ride from the family farm in Saskatchewan. She grew up in The Dustbowl and learned the virtues of hard work and discipline from the family enterprise and the value of education from her schoolteacher mother. She set her sights on a university degree, a rarity then for farm girls, and to that end boarded in Lloydminster to complete high school and Normal School, taking the first steps on her career path. Never only a bookworm, she also made a splash in women’s baseball at this time.
With her savings and a bursary from the University of Saskatchewan she was able to enroll in the Honours Biology program, where she met her future husband Bill Fuller then an MSc. Student. After their graduations and marriage, Bill took a position as Canadian Wildlife Service Officer for Mackenzie District in the Northwest Territories and the adventure of their life together began. Three children were born to them while in Fort Smith, then an outpost accessible only by plane or barge. A move to Whitehorse Yukon opened an opportunity for Marie to return to her education roots and she started a nursery school. When Bill accepted a faculty position at University of Alberta in 1959 and all three children were in school, Marie undertook completion of her education degree and welcomed her fourth child. She enjoyed a long and happy career as a high school biology teacher at Strathcona Composite High School on Edmonton.
Marie and Bill built their dream retirement home outside Athabasca, with the help of Karen, Jim and Gordon. The plan included a large kitchen where Marie could indulge her lifelong interest in the culinary arts, a craft room where she continued to pursue her love of sewing and knitting as well as beginning to explore stained glass, appliqué and macramé, a seed room and greenhouse and large yard spaces for her to make full use of her green thumb in both horticulture and kitchen gardening. Marie also remained true to her biologist roots by maintaining phenology records and bird counts for the duration of their residence there, and by establishing a breeding program for short season heritage tomatoes that is still ongoing.
A patron of the arts for many years and a subscriber to dance, theatre, and opera, Marie was thrilled to attend in one year three of her grandsons performing in operas: in Vancouver, Nicolas on oboe in Of Mice and Men; in Edmonton, Toby in Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci; and Giles as the Old Doctor in Vanessa in Houston.
In her life she embraced the fullness of human endeavours and the richness of that legacy continues to inform all whose lives she touched. She will be sadly missed and much celebrated.
Thanks to the management and staff of the Lewis Estates memory care floor for their kind and compassionate care these last four years.
It was Marie's wish to be cremated. No formal service will be held at this time.