Kay Fulton

Kay Lynn Fulton died June 1, 2012, the seventh and last child of Harrison Augustus Watson and Cora Cates Watson. She was born on November 10, 1933 at 3003 19th Street in Lubbock, across from a Texas Tech University grassy field where dairy cattle were grazing. The Watson family had moved to Lubbock into this home in 1931 because they felt it was a good place to raise their already large family of six children and enable each to graduate from Texas Tech. Kay graduated from Texas Tech in 1956 with a major in English. Activities at Texas Tech included serving as President of Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority in 1955, serving other campus organizations, and being honored in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities in 1956. Kay became a registered occupational therapist following attending Texas Woman’s University (1959), and received her master’s degree in Public Administration at California University at Long Beach in 1987.

Some of her favorite activities and memories in Lubbock included studying piano with Miss Mary Dunn from age 6, reading everything, singing in Miss Webster’s many choirs, picking her mother’s flowers, riding her bike to meet friends at the park, followed by her collie, Lad, who grew up with her to his oldest age of 16, co-editing the Lubbock High yearbook in 1952 with her friend, Mary Jane, riding the bus to the movies with friends and going to Hemphill’s afterward, then riding home with her father from Watson Furniture Company, and attending First United Methodist Church’s summer camp at Ceta Canyon with Mrs. Schafer and good friends.

Kay moved to Long Beach, California in 1960 from an O.T. job at the Houston V.A. hospital, to accept an occupational therapy position at Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Hospital. She treated patients with many physical disabilities there, served as president of the Southern California O.T. Association, established a new rehabilitation program in 1964 at a Los Angeles County Hospital which closed after 10 years due to Los Angeles County budget restrictions, at which time she returned to Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Hospital. There, she retired in 1993 from her position as Assistant Director of Occupational Therapy. She married her husband, Dale Riley Fulton in 1973 in California, and they traveled to many places with strange sounding names, and sang a lot together. She was widowed in 1988. She returned to live in her old home in Lubbock following her retirement in 1993. Old friends and new friends there were treasured.

Kay Lynn was also preceded in death by her parents, her sisters, Melba Thomas, Lois Herring, Cora Jean Turner, Jo Rae Watson, and her brother H.A. Watson, Jr. Succeeding her include sister Joyce Woods of Shamrock, nephews and nieces and their families; Ray Moore of Little Rock, Jan Crawford of Georgetown, Danis Watson of Amarillo, Mindy Doak of Lubbock, Dyke Turner of Seattle, and Kent Turner of Bainbridge Island, Washington, cousin Elizabeth Ann Gifford of Amarillo, and good friends in Texas, California and other places to which many have moved over the years.

A member of First United Methodist Church since childhood, when she always thought H.I. Robinson was always smiling at her, services will be held there at Bowman Chapel Saturday, June 9, 2012 at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at Resthaven Memorial Park. A visitation will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday June 9 in the First United Methodist Church, Bowman Chapel.

Friends who wish may donate in her memory to charities of their choice.

Condolences may be offered at www.resthavenfuneralhome.com