Sarah Louise Fuller
Published June 16, 2014
Sarah Louise Miller Fuller
May 12, 1920 – June 16, 2014
Known all her life as “Sally”, Sarah Louise Miller Fuller, age 94, peacefully passed away at her home in The Woodlands, TX. Her two daughters, Mary Frances Fuller and Jane Fuller Opalko, were at her side.
Sally was born in Seattle to Allen and Blanche Miller, who were longtime residents of Bainbridge Island. They built a summer home in Crystal Springs in 1918 and moved there permanently in 1926. Sally and her older sister Caroline attended Pleasant Beach Grade School and then Bainbridge Island High School, where Sally graduated in 1938.The Miller family moved to Manzantia Bay in 1941.
Sally joined the WAVES in 1944. She spent most of her time in the service working as a clerk at the U.S. Navy base on Treasure Island in San Francisco. After World War II Sally attended the University of Washington on the G.I. Bill. Here she studied architecture and met her future husband, John Wesley Fuller.
Sally and John were married on June 3, 1950. They lived a happy and loving life together, raising two daughters and establishing a home in the Midwest until John’s death in 1978.
Sally returned to Seattle in 1981 and renewed ties with her beloved sister Caroline Kirkman, who still lived in Manzanita Bay. She enjoyed living for many years in a waterfront home in West Seattle and was an active volunteer with several groups, including the Seattle Art Museum and the University of Washington Arboretum Club. In 1997 Sally moved to Texas to be with her two grandchildren, Anne and Austin Opalko.
Sally grew beautiful flowers wherever she lived. She made and kept good friends all her life. She loved to quilt and learned to play the dulcimer in her later years. She traveled around the country and the world. At the age of 93 she fulfilled her longtime wish to take a cruise to Alaska.
A celebration of Sally’s life will be held at the Bainbridge Island Grange Hall on Sunday, August 2 from 1 – 4 pm. All who knew Sally or who were associated with her family are welcome to attend. Inquiries may be sent to Jane Opalko at janeopalko@msn.com