Faye Fuller

Some people are born into this world beautiful. Some are born strong; some smart; some giving; some creative—many loving. Faye Smethurst Fuller, daughter of Frank and Fern Smethurst, wife of William Wendell Fuller, and mother to Mark, Todd, and Jamie, is one of those rare souls whom God chose to bless with all of these.

Faye passed away peacefully on July 17 2019 at the age of 93 in her home surrounded by her family. Faye spent her life cultivating and sharing her talents with her children and all those around her. Faye survived cancer, heart surgery, diabetes, and a serious automobile accident, each at an advanced age, and each at a level that would have snuffed the life from an ordinary soul. But Faye, in this life and beyond, is no ordinary soul.

Though always petite at five foot three inches, she was an athlete in school as well as a highly achieving student. After graduating from West High, she studied Gregg shorthand and speed typing, with which she gained immediate employment at the FBI, ultimately in support of the agents who arrested the notorious Bugsy Siegel, a crime bust she always loved retelling. It was through a blind date arranged by an FBI agent that she met, and married Bill Fuller.

Faye’s father, Frank Semthurst (“Gramps” to his grandkids) was a prize fighter who fought in the Golden Gloves, a body guard to Tom Kearns Jr., a railroad policeman (one of the ones who really did jump from the top of boxcar to boxcar on a moving train), a professional driver, and ultimately the leader of the young college students working as truck drivers who delivered Salt Lake’s daily newspapers to the City’s readers. Faye’s mother, Fern, was the embodiment of the loving spouse, and mother to their only daughter, Faye.

Faye was always, always involved in a creative enterprise, often several at once. She was a cub scout den mother twice, and the merit badges awarded in her den came from the scouts learning creating skills. Pottery making, sculptured murals created from plastic fused in the kitchen oven, and handmade gifts for family members brought these scouts far from the usual accomplishments of knot tying and campfire cooking. Faye left her mark on the community through tireless involvements in PTA activities and fund raising for charities coming from the sale of her extraordinary Christmas trees, sold at high prices to corporations for donations. Charity bazaars counted themselves lucky to have hand-made original game booths designed by Faye and built by her industrious father, Frank, husband, Bill, and small-handed participation by her willing children. Christmas at the Fuller home started the day after Thanksgiving with the kids testing the old fashioned tree lights. Her richly ornamented home did not give up its holiday décor until mid-February, When St. Nick yielded to St. Valentine for decoration. From Christmas table cloths woven magical with lights, to spiraling wax sculptures resembling ice mountains; from five level snow villages filling snow-sprayed windows to Christmas trees joyously displaying the museum collection of her fantastical ornaments, Faye’s home at every holiday was a warm, love filled, eye popping place to visit. And no visitor left without sampling her home-made sweet treats.

Faye loved to travel, and every summer was a road trip to a surprise destination. Before dawn, Bill packed the car and carried their three still-sleeping children to place them on the home-made bed he had carpentered into the back seat of their loved, but secondhand and non-air conditioned Mercury station wagon for a highway trip of discovery. From each trip, ideas for enhancing their multilevel back yard returned with them, whether garden ideas from Carmel, or plan s for backyard waterfalls from Disneyland. Faye, Bill, kids and grandparents spent the rest of the summer expanding their own fairyland yard in their love-filled Salt Lake home.

Faye is preceded in death by her husband, William Wendel Fuller, and her grandson, Michael Fuller. She is survived by her three children, Mark Fuller (and wife, Susan), Todd Fuller (and wife Melissa), and Jamie Zeluff. She has eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

A Viewing will be held on Tuesday, July 23rd at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary, 3401 S Highland Drive, Salt Lake City.

Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, July 24th, at 11:00 am, also at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary. There will be a Viewing one hour prior to the Funeral Services.

Interment will be at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park.