Jan Fulton
This is for my mom. I wish we could have had a regular funeral and memorial.
But nothing is regular these days, so I wanted you to know what a good mom she was. My mom was born in Longview, Texas during the Great Depression. She always told me she never knew they weren't rich. She had a sister , Ruth Hardeman Emch, and two brothers Watson Hardeman and Billy Hardeman and they all graduated from Longview Public Schools. After graduation she began working at what used to be called Ma Bell , but back then it was just called The Telephone Company. She married Jack Fulton ( John Thomas Fulton). While he worked at Lone Star Steel he studied to become a realtor and eventually established a real estate agency in Greggton. Not too long after, he became sick and was diagnosed with Leukemia. Mom and he spent months going back and forth from Longview to Baylor Dallas for his treatment. He eventually passed away at Baylor. Mom returned to Longview where she continued to work and raise me and my brothers Jack and Dean. I can only imagine the stress she must have felt but I never remember her letting us see her struggle with everything she had to do. She was a remarkably strong woman, much more than I could ever be. She was kind and even when I knew she must have felt angry or frustrated or defeated she never showed it. I wish I was more like her. I will miss her very much. We talked every day and I have gone to the phone several times since her funeral. On Friday night, I always called her to remind her to watch the new episode of Blue Bloods. I had my hand on the phone last Friday at 9PM and I suddenly felt empty.
She was a wonderful mother, she never complained, she was compassionate and lived as a daughter of her Lord . I am proud of her and I will try to live as she lived.
There is a song that she liked by the Gaithers, it is called And I shall Live. Listen to the words. The words remind me of how she lived.
Jan