Lois Marie Fullerton

Lois Marie Homesley was born September 11, 1929 at Santa Rosa hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Most of her childhood was spent living on a farm outside San Antonio. Her family worked the farm in exchange for living there. It was a good life growing up there with her three brothers and sister. The farm provided plenty of fresh and healthy food for a growing family.

One day young Lois was helping clear a field as her father was moving across it with a hay mowing machine. Tragically she was caught in the machine and nearly lost her left foot. This was an injury that would affect her for the rest of her life.

When she was a freshman in high school her family moved to Austin, Texas. Her father worked as an automotive mechanic for the army and was transferred to Camp Mabry. They lived in a small home near Lake Austin Blvd. As a teenager Lois had fond memories of swimming in the cool waters of Deep Eddy swimming pool. She graduated from Austin high school in 1945 and went to work at South Western Bell as a switch board operator. She did this for a year and then moved to San Angelo, Texas to live with, and help out her father’s sister, Aunt Maggie. A year later would find her moving to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to help out another ailing relative. This time it was her mother’s sister, Aunt Ida. She spent four years in Louisiana and part of her time there she worked as a waitress in a diner.

She then moved back to Austin, meeting the love of her life, Ray Fullerton. She met him through her brother at what is now County Line Barbecue on the Lake. They married in January 1955. At this time, they were both members of Ridgetop Baptist Church. 1956 would bring the birth of their daughter, Rhonda. Their son, Roger, would follow in 1961. They moved into a modest home in northeast Austin in 1962 and would spend the next twenty years of their lives there raising their family. Ray worked new construction as a plumber – pipefitter. Lois worked hard as a homemaker. Once the kids were out of high school, Lois went to work for the State of Texas as a data processor supervisor at the Air Control Board. She held this job for over a decade.

In retirement, Lois and Ray enjoyed traveling and spending quality time with their friends and family. Every Friday night brought an enjoyable game of dominoes with Ray’s brothers and their wives. They also greatly enjoyed their grandchildren, Lauren and Ashely Smith and Will and Emma Fullerton. Lois’ faith in God grew throughout her life. Over the years she was a member of several different Baptist churches in the Austin area. According to Lois, she ultimately found the most caring group of Christians at Hillcrest Baptist Church. Lois and Ray were Hillcrest members for over twenty years. She always looked forward to interacting with everyone there. She took great comfort in all the support she received from the church community during her final years. She especially appreciated the assistance in her care of Ray; and, the visits, cards and calls when she was no longer able to attend services.

Lois and Ray were married for 62 years. Lois was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015 and Ray passed away in 2017. She would live for another four years fighting the disease. Lois went to the Lord, her Savior, on January 25, 2021. She will always be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend.

Lois was survived by her children, grandchildren and her sister, Annabelle Herwig of Boerne, Texas.