Jean Fullerton

Jean Fullerton died Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014. She was born Nov. 4, 1924, to Irene and Herman Hauck in Philipsburg.

A person with deep Montana roots, her German immigrant great-grandparents established the Philipsburg brewery (Silver Spray Beer) in the mid-1870s. Her grandparents on her father's side met as teenagers at the Northern Pacific last spike celebration in 1883. Her grandfather on her mother's side was a miner in Butte from Cornwall, England. He was on-shift in the mine during the Granite Mountain mine disaster, leading his men from the burning mine shaft and then trying to re-enter as rescue crew.

The oldest of five siblings, Jean grew up in the tough Depression times. Her father was a section man for the Montana Highway Department and only had work for a few months per year. She would try to supplement family income delivering newspapers as a young girl.

Good times included endless play with her sisters and little brother, oftentimes swimming in the mine tailing yards of P-burg. She also loved to go see her grandparents in Walkerville (Butte), who gave her money to ride the streetcar to Columbia Gardens and made her a pasty lunch.

During the war years, Jean graduated from high school and then started as a telephone operator, which would become a lifelong career with Mountain States Telephone (later Mountain Bell). It was with the phone company she met her future husband, Howie Fullerton.

Jean gave up her career in the mid-1950s to raise her two sons, Jack and Tom, as Howie's phone company career took them around the state, including Anaconda, Butte and finally Bozeman. In the late '60s, after her two boys were raised, Jean again started her second career with the phone company, which eventually took her and Howie to Missoula. Jean finally retired from Mountain Bell in 1989.

Jean was active for many years in the altar guild of the Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, loved to create miniature doll houses, raised beautiful flowers at her home, enjoyed organizing family gatherings and was active in the telephone pioneer organization. She was very proud of her country and the state of Montana, and loved her little town of Philipsburg and adopted town of Butte.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Irene and Herman Hauck; husband, Howie; infant son, Robert; grandson, Jared; brother, Lornie; sister, Marion; brothers-in-law, Donald Shanklin and Cato Butler; and grand-dog, Maggie. Survivors include her two sons, Thomas Stanley Fullerton and wife Diane, and John Fullerton and wife Phyllis; and stepson, Gerry Fullerton and wife Theresa.

Other survivors include sisters, Helen Shanklin and Dora Butler; sister-in-law, Betty Fullerton; brother-in-law, Joe Finkel; sister-in-law, Penny Hauck; granddaughter, Janice Fullerton; grandson, Scott Beaulieu (Ashley); granddaughter, Melissa Meier (Josh); three great-grandsons, Eli and Cyrus Meier and Brandon Fullerton; special niece, Cheye Anne Butler (Robert); her Hauck cousins, John, Tom, Eleanor and Mary Lou; Taylor cousins, Elsie and Ellen; and her longtime neighbors.

The family would like to thank Doctors Speckart, Kendra Lee, Woerlien, Kattine, Linford and Risi; also, RN Coop at the Coumadin clinic, for many years of diligent and compassionate care; also Dr. Walt Peschel for moral support. Much thanks is also given to the staff and management of Hillside nursing home for the kindness, care and friendship they extended to Mom in her last few months while she was in their care.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, at Garden City Funeral Home with a reception to follow. Graveside services will take place later in the summer during the last week of July during Flint Creek Valley Days at the Philipsburg Cemetery.

The family suggests memorials to Camp Mak-A-Dream children's oncology camp, Missoula Humane Society or the Granite County Museum in Philipsburg.

Condolences for the family may be left at missoulafuneralhomes.com.
Read Jean Fullerton's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.