Wayne Patrick Fulkerson

Wayne was once my boss, teacher, mentor and friend. Although I never saw you after I left Safeco, I have thought of you whenever I achieved a milestone in my professional life. Thank you for helping me along my life's path...

Wayne introduced me to my wife of 57 years in San Diego while we were both students at San Diego State. He was the best man at my wedding to Terri and his first wife Mary Lou was the Matron of Honor. Over the years we have lost track of Wayne and are sorry to hear of his death. We remember him fondly.

TO Mark and Peg- condolences on the loss of a kind and curious gentleman, ever interested in the world and the person in front of him. I will remember the depth of his interest and encouragement as a sign of his great spirit.

Wayne was a wonderful man...wise, gentle, compassionate and friendly. He loved life and was much loved in return. May he be treasured in memory for years to come!

Wayne was always a really nice man, fair to everyone, whether he/she deserved that or not. He was extremely detailed and open-minded, and I think it was his open-mindedness which served him best over the long haul.

Seldom have I met someone whose own understanding and mind was less made-up(/"complete") when really listening (and 'hearing') the thoughts and opinions of others.

He was clearly a very intelligent person who, like most of us, probably never 'fully' gained (quite) enough outlets to merely 'exercise' that intelligence.

But Wayne's knack for sincerely 'listening' to others and likely gaining something from most of them, is what set him apart.

Perhaps the most prominent single memory I have of Wayne was the date of October 8, 1989, a day on which he and I traveled alone together to Canada for a day of horse racing.

Wayne was very aware of the most likely pace-related 'trends' which effect the vast majority of horse race wins, and we were there to witness a horse whose tactics defied every element of those more prevalent trends.

A horse from Washington (State) was the narrow favorite that day, having recently (and convincingly) beaten the home town heroine in a race near Seattle.

But there was no mistaking what I was strongly anticipating this time, and what Wayne's mind was at least 'open' to witnessing.

The home-town (Vancouver) heroine sat waaaaaaaay behind in the early going, as was her custom, and she served up a furious late charge which got her home in front by a nose, with nothing at all to spare.

And I can remember Wayne exclaiming:

"Wow! She did it!" (with some open-minded 'tone' inflecting minimal belief)


I don't even have any memory of (ever knowing) exactly how Wayne bet on that race, and it really doesn't matter.

I can't recall ever being adversarial with him, and in part that's a function of his mind having always been so 'open' to the thoughts and ideas of others)

Wayne was a good guy who will be missed by everyone he ever knew. (and I'm typing on a PC near to which Sharilyn's obituary has been posted for all these many years)

Wayne's light will forever shine.