James "Jim" Hugh Fulling

James Hugh Fulling, 76, of Sandpoint, died peacefully at his home with his wife Betsy by his side, on May 1, 2015, after a courageous two and a half-year struggle with many ongoing health issues. He was born in the Bronx, New York on August 25, 1938 to Thomas Raymond Fulling and Geraldine Rose Davitt, and was the second of four children. He grew up in Brewster, New York and attended schools there, going on after his marriage, to graduate from Bridgeport University with a BSEE degree after six years of working full time and attending school nights. He married Elizabeth Ann (Betsy) Gross, his wife of almost 55 years, in Yorktown Hts., New York on November 12, 1960 after having met on a blind date. They had four children. The young family was famous for two-week driving vacation jaunts over the years across the country from the east coast to the west coast and across Canada from Newfoundland to Vancouver, camping their way with four young children in the back of the station wagon! Employed by Motorola, the couple was first sent to Korea and then went on to live in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Arizona, and Texas, where Jim ran semiconductor operations and eventually to Northern California where he became General Manager of a new company there. In 1977, Jim became an ‘executive dropout’ when he and Betsy decided to leave the corporate world to go into business for themselves by purchasing a small auto parts store in the old logging town of Georgetown, California where they raised their four teenaged children. While there he was an active member of the Rotary Club and several other business organizations. Four wheeling in their jeep became a weekly pastime, and the two enjoyed both summer and winter camping. In 1990, they decided to move to a place of their dreams, sold their home and business and moved to and settled in Sandpoint with their new business Mountain Spa & Stove, which they proudly ran by themselves. Jim always said that they finally put down roots. One of Jim’s greatest joys was when he and Betsy began hiking in the beautiful mountains of North Idaho, faithfully every week, regardless of the weather, with neither heat nor cold, rain, sleet nor wind holding them back. He was fishing and hiking alone back then and Betsy was recovering from breast cancer when he first asked her to join him on a hike to Harrison Lake…he was not surprised when she told him after that first hike that ‘he would never go hiking without her again’! In over ten years, they only missed about six times and have totaled almost 5000 miles in that time. Hiking was the highlight of his life, and certainly their Monday hike days were the highlight of the week. Jim was an avid reader, a lover of history and teller of jokes, which sometimes were long rambling stories, only getting better each time he told them. Affectionately known as “Poof” by his family, and very close friends, he loved the role of being in charge of the barbecue, and always used those occasions for more jokes and many more stories. He enjoyed tracking the weather patterns and was an avid bird watcher. His knowledge of bird and plant identification was constantly growing, with Betsy taking the photos and Jim doing the bookwork. Being a huge fan of anything Irish, especially the bagpipes, he was known on a few occasions, after some ‘liquid motivation’, to attempt the jig as son Rob played the pipes. Always one to take chances, and sometimes many times too often, he ignored all the odds especially on the sides of mountains and risky stream crossings, much to Betsy’s dismay! The scenic route was always his road of choice! Generosity was his creed and he would do anything to help anyone. Jim is preceded in death by his parents, and his older brother Tom, who just recently passed, all his grandparents, and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Survivors include his wife, Betsy Fulling, of Sandpoint, his four children, Jim, Jr. of Rocklin, CA; Rob, of Seattle, WA; Steve (Jenny) of South Jordan, UT; and Tricia (Carlos) of Suwanee, GA. Also his surviving siblings, Ronnie (Bob) Carucci, and Fran (Craig) Blomberg of Centennial, CO, ten grandchildren and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. One special cousin, Peggy (Davitt) Lydon shares a special bond with Jim dating back to their childhood days, when she, the ‘city cousin’, would visit the ‘country cousin’. He will be greatly missed by his family and all who knew him. The family held a small private memorial on May 3, 2015 and interment at Pinecrest Cemetery will be held at a later date.