R. Bill R. Fuller passed away peacefully after a short illness on September 2, 2023, at the Good Shepard Hospice House. He was born on the family farm in rural Ottawa Co. on April 9, 1938, during a late spring blizzard to William Vincent Fuller and Winifred Aileen (Adee) Fuller.
He attended grade schools at Sunnyside School, District 45 and Storm Center, District 40 in rural Ottawa County. Bill attended Miltonvale Rural High School and graduated in 1956. He was the Chapter President of FFA, participated in band and choir, a member of the National Honor Society, and a member of the mile relay team that set a new record at the K-State Indoor meet. He also was a football letter winner, in the times of wearing an old leather helmet.
Bill and brother Max had many adventures with jumping their bikes over ramps and experimenting with modifications to add pontoons for water and sails for the wind. After a few successes and a few shipwrecks, many of their inventions ended up in the scrap iron pile where they started. The brothers were also active Rockhill 4-H Club members raising Duroc breeding gilts, Angus heifers, Hampshire market lambs and completing Home Beautification and Room Improvement projects.
Wheat harvest was an important part of Bill's early family life. During his childhood years, his family was selected to be part of the harvest Brigade during WW II, agreeing to follow harvest across the country with Massey-Harris Model 21 new-technology harvesting machines - the combine. Later, on a custom cutting trip across the Midwest, Bill and Max were young teens as they headed back to Kansas for school with their mother. Max (13) was pulled over by a trooper driving the truck as Bill (15) relieved his mother in the car. Max got stopped, Bill got the ticket, and Mom paid the fine.
Bill attended and graduated from Kansas State University. He approached college as an 8 to 5 job and worked hard and excelled. He received awards and was recognized in an economics contest, and the K-State Crops Judging Team, placing at the national level. Bill also worked in the horticultural greenhouse and at the research farm. His big project involved using 100 different watermelon varieties to create the Crimson Sweet variety. He was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. He graduated in June of 1960 with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Cum Laude.
He moved with his young family to Miltonvale where he was involved with the family farm. He was also instrumental in building award winning Vocational Agriculture and FFA programs as a teacher at his alma mater from 1960-68. He and his students were recognized many times for their judging skills and building various farm equipment pieces from scratch at the state and national level. He believed in teaching his students to complete their projects with pride and learning to do high-quality work. Bill was awarded the Honorary State Farmer Degree after retiring from his teaching career.
Bill was an active member of the Miltonvale Lions Club for 21 years. One project that he volunteered to chair a committee to organize and operate a rural fire department. In June of 1965 the Cloud County Commission voted to establish Rural Fire District No. 7. Bill's Vo-Ag department at MRHS did much of the repair, design, and construction of firefighting equipment. He was also involved in the Farmers Union Cooperative, Miltonvale Young Farmers, Cloud Co. Extension Council, Cloud Co. Fair Assn.
Bill was elected in 1979 to serve in the House of Representatives of the Kansas Legislature. He enjoyed working with his mentor Senator Ross Doyen and serving on committees including Agriculture & Livestock, Assessment & Taxation, Transportation, Insurance, and Rules & Regulations. He also selected as the Chairman Agriculture & Livestock committee in his last term. He served the constituents of District 108 for three 2-year terms.
After leaving the Legislature he took a position as Asst. Director of the Public Affairs Division of Kansas Farm Bureau. Serving from 1984 to 2001, his responsibilities included researching issues important to farmers and ranchers. He would also lobby Legislators to support bills that would implement the policies and programs.
He resigned his position at Farm Bureau to accept an appointment by President George W. Bush as Executive Director of the USDA Kansas Farm Service Agency. He supervised more than 500 employees, managed a $41 million budget, administered 30 programs for conservation, farm loans, disaster relief, and benefits to Kansas farmers and ranchers. In 2007 he was selected to receive the Administrator's Honor Award. He served from March 12, 2001, and retired on January 29, 2009, in this position.
Prior to and during his retirement years he had many hobbies which he approached with great passion. He spent many hours driving to and attending dance recitals, graduations, sporting, medical school pinning ceremonies, KSU football games and many other events of his nine grandkids and seventeen great-grandchildren.
His keen interest in old vehicles increased when he became the second owner of a 1920 Ford Model T 1-ton truck in high school. He restored that truck and drove it in many parades as he campaigned for the Legislature. He was an avid collector of tractors and farm equipment, diecast race cars, oil company banks and Miltonvale Pottery. He enjoyed attending the Belleville High Banks and NASCAR races across the country.
Bill and Janice married November 10, 1987, and enjoyed camping, cruising, and traveling across the country. They spent the winters in Sun City, AZ for five years, where Bill became a master at painting ceramics.
He spent several years writing a book containing 22 stories of his favorite adventures of his life, with tremendous help from Janice. He loved researching his family history and putting these memories in his book, "Short Stories....adventures of a boy growing up on a KANSAS farm!"
His surviving family members include his wife Janice and best dog friend Charlie of the home in Manhattan; brother Max and wife Nancy of Maple Hill; brother-in-law Richard Wilkey; three children: Bradley Fuller and wife Pam of Barnsdall, OK, Beverly Mortimer and husband Scott of Delphos, KS, and Betty Bachamp and husband Mark of Manhattan, KS; nine grandchildren: Toby Lohman-Fuller (Jessica), Brady Fuller (Courtney), Montana Fuller, Jeff Mortimer (Elizabeth), Ryan Mortimer (Paige), David Mortimer (Megan), Krista DeWitt (Tyler), Cole Bachamp (Bailey), and Kyle Bachamp; and 17 great grandchildren: Kinzie, Taybree & Joliegh Lohman-Fuller; Dekker, Bekket & Evvi Fuller; Drew, Tyler, Sophia & Beau Mortimer; Karsyn & Blake Mortimer; Lainey Mortimer; Paxton & Reagan DeWitt; Dylan & Brooks Bachamp
He was preceded in death by his parents Vincent and Aileen; his sister Barbara Ann Wilkey; Janice's parents Jacob & Sadie Feil; and brother-in-law Dean Feil.
A Celebration of Bill's Life will be held at 2:00 P.M. Friday, September 8th, at the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home. Graveside services will be held at 4:30 P.M. Friday, at the Miltonvale City Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 7:30 P.M. Thursday, September 7th, at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Miltonvale Rural Fire District #3, and may be left in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502.
