Doris Hawley Fulghum

Doris Hawley Fulghum, 82, of Wilson passed away Friday. Her funeral services will be held on Monday August 12, 2019 in the chapel of Shingleton Funeral Home at 7:00 p.m. Family will receive friends immediately following the service. Interment will be on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. at Maplewood Cemetery. The Reverend Ray Wells will officiate the service. Doris was the second child and the oldest daughter born to Paul and Eva Hawley on July 12, 1937. She spent her childhood on the farm and often said that some of her fondest memories were centered around barning tobacco, chopping in the garden, and walking with the neighborhood children to catch the school bus. She graduated from Rock Ridge School in 1955. Although they were classmates for twelve years and did not go on a single date during high school, Doris connected with Donald Fulghum at the county fair one cool September evening. She and Donald were married a few short years later and Doris happily settled into married life at College Court Apartments. She worked as an assistant to Dr. Josephine Melchior and then as a teller at BB&T. It was not long before the couple missed the farm life and so Doris and Don moved to the country near Rock Ridge and over 50 years built a life together until his death in 2008. She welcomed her one and only child, a daughter, Carol, on January 17, 1966. Doris was no stranger to work. While Don farmed and raised hogs in his spare time, she convinced him to plant her some cucumbers and she spent many hot summers picking cucumbers to sell. She also became the person Don relied on to give shots to the newborn pigs, putting her experience with Dr Josephine to work. Doris thrived on interacting with others so she joined JC Penny as a sales associate in the children's department. She excelled at her job and loved helping the children and parents select just the right clothes. Doris retired from Penny's after 25 years of service and she was always happy to see her former customers around town and they in turn were happy to see her. Doris was a devoted mother who supported her daughter as she showed cattle and horses and kept all sorts of livestock. Doris loved the holidays, especially Christmas, and there was not a surface in her house that was not touched by Christmas decorations and some years she even had three Christmas trees. Doris was an amazing cook and could make homemade biscuits, can pickles, and stir up a chocolate pie that would melt in your mouth. She also enjoyed attending Marsh Swamp Church and most Sundays would find her in Mary Rachel's Sunday School Class. Retirement brought new opportunities for Doris. Not one to like travel, she reluctantly joined Don on his trips to the Amish country, flea markets, and farm sales. After his death, you could often find her at Bojangles with a table full of friends, in the yard tending her flowers, or feeding the stray cats that found safety and shelter in her care. In her last years, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases robbed Doris of her physical and mental abilities but it could not rob her of her beautiful smile. When she could no longer live at home, she became a resident of Spring Arbor Assisted Living and Memory Care. Doris leaves to cherish her memory, her daughter, Carol Fulghum, her brother Billy Hawley, and multiple nieces and nephews. In addition to Don and her parents, she is preceded in death by her sister Brenda Hawley and a brother James Paul Hawley. The Lord hears our prayers and knows our needs and the Lord sent Mary Helen Schaubhuth to Doris. Mary Helen became not only Doris's caregiver but also her friend and companion. No words can express the family's appreciation. The family also wishes to thank the staff of Spring Arbor Memory Care for their care and compassion as well as Kenly Medical and Dr. Hal Woodall. Flowers are welcome or memorial contributions may be made to Marsh Swamp Free Will Baptist Church, 6664 Rock Ridge Rd., Sims, NC 27880. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Doris Hawley Fulghum please visit our Sympathy Store.

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