Carolyn Fuller, 73, Hays, KS, passed away December 2, 2024 at The University of Kansas Medical Center, after a brief illness.
Carolyn Marlene Fuller was born on September 8, 1951 in El Dorado, Kansas to Maynard and Mary Alice Weber. The only daughter in the family, she had three brothers, Charles, Ray, and Marc. She moved a lot as a child before settling in Hays for her teen years. During her childhood, she developed an early love of reading and art.
Her first child, Natalie, was born in Hays in 1973 at Saint Anthony’s Hospital, and second daughter Christie was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1975. After divorce and living in various locations, she settled back in Hays with her daughters in 1983. There, Carolyn began attending Fort Hays University, where she eventually received a Master’s in Education. Remaining in Hays, she became a middle school math and science teacher, first at Kennedy Middle School before finishing her career at Hays Middle School. Her teaching career lasted for over 30 years. She was an inspiration to many students, and took great joy in teaching and in educating such a large number of Hays residents – even if she had to give a fair number of detentions.
A proud resident of Hays, and very outgoing, she took part in many local clubs and activities throughout her life, including being an avid gardener and member of the Prairie Garden Club – she received her Master Gardener certificate and never stopped cultivating plants. She could grow nearly anything, and spent many days working on artistically-perfecting her yard on West 15th Street and when moving to Homestead Assisted Living. An expert and devoted artist, crafter (she had a collection of over 10,000 buttons!), and quilter, Carolyn especially loved making quilts for babies and as auction donations. A number of her re-imagined antique sewing machines, which she turned into art pieces, were purchased by a private collector.
Carolyn was a relentless reader of murder mysteries and other books, as well as a volunteer at the Hays Public Library, an enthusiastic thrift store shopper, usually on trips with her sister-in-law Debbie Weber, and incredible baker – her favorite bakes included monster cookies and all kinds of cakes. While her daughters remained her main children, she loved dogs, too, and was mom to many, including Cracker, Heather, Puddles, Murphy, Darby, and Rooney. This love also came through via her many years volunteering at The Humane Society of the High Plains.
She instilled many of those same interests, crafting, baking, reading, educating others, dogs, and more to her daughters, whom she traveled to visit often, making trips to see them in Washington, Louisiana, and other states. In addition, she took one memorable trip to central Italy with her daughter Christie to visit her other daughter Natalie, a trip that provided inspiration for much of her artistic endeavors, plus lots of good food and memories.
Carolyn is preceded in death by her parents and brothers Marc and Ray. She is survived by daughter Natalie, husband A.J. Rathbun, and granddog Ainsley, daughter Christie and granddog Billie, brother Charles and wife Jolanta Kaczan Weber, and other relatives.
Per Carolyn’s request there will be no memorial service. Her family would encourage you to read a great book, stop and smell the flowers, and go ahead and have that donut in her memory. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages gifts in her honor to the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (www.michaeljfox.org/), to The Humane Society of the High Plains (hshponline.org), or to Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas, Inc. (www.mydsnwk.org/). Arrangements are in the care of Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home and condolences and memories of Carolyn may be left for her family at www.haysmemorial.com