Marilyn Kay Fuller

Marilyn Kay Tribbey Fuller, 88, of Blossom, passed away from this earth to her eternal home Thursday, July 14, 2022, at her home surrounded by her family. Bright-Holland Funeral Home has scheduled services for 2:00 p.m. Monday, July 18th at Calvary United Methodist Church with Rev. Beverly Olsen officiating. Burial will follow in Union Grove Cemetery at Reno. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service.

Marilyn, the daughter of Tom H. Tribbey & Ruth Marguerite Dodson Tribbey, was born July 1, 1934, in Maud, OK. Due to her father’s work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, her childhood homes spanned from Shawnee and Ripley, Oklahoma to Horton, Kansas, Winnebago, Nebraska and Fort Washakie, Wyoming. One of her proud childhood memories was consistently being picked to play baseball with the children at the Indian school (though she was required to attend public school due to governmental rules), even though she was a little blonde girl. While living in Shawnee, Jim Thorpe would come to their house to visit her dad. This led to her statement that her claim to fame was that she sat on Jim Thorpe’s lap when she was a kid. Marilyn grew up during the depression years, which made her fiscally conservative. She would iron wrapping paper to be used again (be sure to sort the bows into the right box!) but was always very generous to others.

Her education included receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree, cum laude, in May 1955, from Oklahoma State University School of Business Administration where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi. She received a Master’s in Business Administration, magna cum laude, in June 1965, from the University of Arkansas Graduate School, and passing of her Ph.D. comps in Feb. 1972, from the University of Arkansas. She was inducted into the honors societies of Phi Kappa Phi at OSU and Beta Gamma Sigma at University of Arkansas.

Marilyn became a Certified Public Accountant in 1956, the youngest in the state of Oklahoma at the time and worked in public accounting for nine years with various firms. She then became an Instructor of Accounting and Economics at Paris Junior College in 1968 until her retirement. During her 34 years of teaching, she touched thousands of lives and was awarded the Master Teacher of Paris Junior College 1987-1988. She was also Piper Professor Nominee of PJC in 1975, 1976, and 1987. She authored an Instructional Package for the Electronic Printing Calculator, 1976 and was author of an article of The Prentice Hall Accounting Forum, 1991.

Her most important loves were God and family. She lived her life with integrity, excellence, and hard work. Over her decades of membership at Calvary United Methodist Church she served as a Sunday School and Disciple Bible Study teacher, membership secretary, and member of the Finance Committee. She also served as a Sunday morning offering counter and Monday morning offering counting group who referred to themselves as “The Golden Girls.” She loved giving and receiving hugs from her church family. Marilyn’s favorite Bible verse was Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Marilyn enjoyed collecting fountain pens, traveling (she made it to all 50 states!), gambling, was an avid Arkansas Razorback fan, enjoyed computer games, golfing, bowling, and was a beer drinker (due to her German ancestry).

One of her famous quotes was: “We know God loves us because of 2 L’s and a B: love, laughter, and beer.”

Survivors include two children, John Fuller (Debbie) and Carole Grant (David); her best friend for 50 years, Theresa Emerson; her sister, Carole White; her grandchildren, Melissa Fisher (Weston), Jen Sims (James), Amanda Davis (Kyle), and Jacob Fuller (Lisa); her great grandchildren, Grant & Everett Fisher, Carolyn Jo & James Ryan Sims, Abigail & Nora Davis, and Rosemary & Francis Fuller; her niece & nephew, Karen Smith (Adam) and Doug White (Kathy); along with a plethora of friends.

Casket bearers will be: John Denison, Butch Milford, John Wood, James Sims, Weston Fisher, and Mike Secrest.

The family requests that memorials be sent to the Marilyn Fuller Accounting Scholarship at Paris Junior College, 2400 Clarksville St., Paris, TX 75460.