1944 — 2019
John Thistle Fullilove of Stamford, CT, passed away peacefully on July 18, 2019, at the age of 75. He was the elder son of H. Earl and Martha T. Fullilove of Greenwich and Stamford, CT.
John was born in Sistersville, WV, on April 2, 1944, and grew up in Port Chester, NY, and Greenwich, CT. He attended Cornwall Academy, Port Chester High School and Pace College before joining the U.S. Navy Seabees in 1965. He served two tours in Vietnam with MCB (Mobile Construction Battalion)-58 and maintained a lifelong connection with his brothers-in-arms from the unit. He fought in the Tet offensive and received a purple heart. Returning to civilian life, John spent the next four decades as a crane operator in New York City’s high-rise construction industry.
Over the years, most of John’s hobbies had wheels, from an early passion racing his 1958 Austin-Healy at Lime Rock Park and competing at Dover Dragstrip in a souped-up Corvair to touring the countryside aboard a succession of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. He was an early member of the Sports Car Club of America. More recently, John scratched his automotive itch at the wheel of a high-powered Shelby Cobra replica. John also enjoyed SCUBA diving, and carving winsome faces and figures from old cedar logs. He was very spiritual and a firm believer in heaven and looked forward to reuniting with family and his beloved dog.
John is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Martha Mulvany Fullilove; daughter Sarah of Stamford; son and daughter-in-law Adam and Cassandra Fullilove of Norwalk, CT, and their daughters Ava and Cora; and his brother and sister-in-law James and Jeanne Fullilove of New Hartford, CT, and their three children, their spouses and five grandsons. He is also survived by two sisters-in-law, a brother-in-law, four nephews, their spouses and children in Massachusetts and multiple family members in the D.C. area.
A celebration of John’s life will be held Saturday, July 27, at 3 pm at the Darien VFW Post 6933. He will receive a burial with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
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