Thomas Fulton

1934 - 2024

Thomas Fulton

February 18, 1934 - December 18, 2024

Thomas Vinton (Tom) Fulton, age 90, of Redlands, CA, passed away at the home he shared with his son and daughter-in-law during the early hours of December 18, 2024, following a lengthy illness. He was born February 18, 1934, in Leaksville (Eden), NC to John William and Annie Mae Chatman Fulton.

Tom was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Nancy Newmon Fulton; daughter, Alisa Leann (Cookie, Bambi) Brown; brothers, Leonard, Robert, Phil and Jim; and sister, Doris Moseley.

Born during the Great Depression, Tom learned to work hard from an early age. He began as a paperboy, selling candy to his customers, and mowing lawns. Between jobs and chores, he enjoyed going to movies, boxing in the backyard gym he built, and swimming with the other boys at the river. Later he took up guitar, playing with the Dan River Rangers on WLOE, and boxed the Golden Gloves State champion.

After marrying the love of his life, he was drafted into the Army for a stint at Fort Knox. He returned home and soon found himself the manager of the A & P grocery store in Reidsville. In the 1970s, he left the A & P with dreams of owning his own business. He tried his hand at an arcade, a restaurant, and eventually a small fleet of trucks hauling cardboard to recycling centers. He returned to groceries later in life, joining Food Lion in the produce department. By now, he had also discovered a love for growing azaleas and roses, which he would sell. Eventually, he also discovered the joy of buying and selling guitars.

After his wife passed away in 2005, Tom moved to California to live with his son, Mark. He loved seeing the western landscape that reminded him of the cowboy movies of his youth. He walked everywhere, often collecting small sprigs from interesting plants that he would root and propagate in his backyard garden. These he would sell or give away to neighbors, making friends everywhere he ventured.

In his seventies and eighties, Tom enjoyed vacations with his son and daughter-in-law throughout the West, from Canada to Mexico, from the Grand Canyon, to Disneyland, to Hearst Castle. Wherever he was on any given day, he loved to walk, seeing new sights and pointing out the beauty and wonder in everything. His family loved him beyond words, and everyone who met him speaks of how sweet he was. Tom was a wonderful man who will be sorely missed.

Tom is survived by his son, Thomas Markell (Mark) Fulton; daughter-in-law, Claudia Walker; grandsons, Shaun Pulliam and Jeremy Rangel; and great-granddaughter, Alice.