Charles Ellis Fulks, Jr. 

1940/12/11 – 2020/04/23
Charles, the oldest of four sons, was born to Eva Lee and Charles Ellis Fulks on December 11, 1940 in Rockwood, Tennessee. He attended school in Rockwood, graduated in 1958 and married Norma Jean Johnson in 1959 with whom he had six children.
During his school years he played French horn in the school band and built his own working radio station. He obtained his BS in Math from Milligan College in Tennessee in 1964. While at Milligan College Charles was a founding member and President of the Spotlighter’s Club, students who provided lighting for school functions, was a student photographer and badminton champion. Always interested in science and technology, Charles did his Graduate work in digital computers at Pennsylvania State University.
He had many jobs over the course of his life including radio DJ at WRKH in Rockwood, TN and WRSC in State College, PA, milk man, preacher, and motion picture photographer. Charles spent most of his career life in the computer engineering field including building systems for nuclear power plant and submarine use as well as developing software programs and computer systems. He also was part of the engineering team that built Disney MGM Studios, Orlando, Catastrophe Canyon ride.

His hobbies included playing piano, doing science shows for grammar schools and photography. He was an avid square dancer and square dance caller, member of Centre Squares, State College, PA, and the Thunderbird Squares of Greenville, SC and an award winning member of Toastmaster’s International. He enjoyed camping, dancing, badminton, croquet, HO trains, all kinds of music, opera, theater, and travel. Charles was a huge fan of Star Trek and Star Wars, the Smother’s Brothers, Tom Lehrer, and humorists Garrison Keillor and Jeanne Robertson. Along with his second wife Liz whom he married in 1992, he volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and the Humane Society of Vero Beach, FL doing photography, videography, and helping with fundraising.

Charles was very proud of his memberships with Unitarian Universalist Fellowships throughout his life, first as a member of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach in Florida with his wife Liz, and then as a member of the Greenville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (GUUF) in his last few years. He loved the fellowship at GUUF and looked forward to working with Richard Fuller, assisting with audio for services. The last 12 years of Charles life was lived with his partner Marvie Jeanne Thamis, whom he married in 2020 shortly before his death.

Charles was a loving father of , and survived by, daughters, Teresa Dyer, Debra Rivera, Donna Padrick, and Lynae Chambers and sons, Charles III, and Robert; He is also survived by brothers, Dan and Steven; grandchildren, Robert Bolton, Joshua Bolton, Stephanie Suarez, Joseph Trepanier, Patrick Stiffler, Rachel Trepanier, Joshua Gillis, Jacob Gillis, Delainey Fulks, and Mekeina Fulks, three great grandchildren, Blake and Levi Charles Suarez, and Guillermo Dominguez and stepchildren Dann Reid, Sarah Reid Ziomek, and Thomas Thamis. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Ellis Sr. and Eva Lee, brother, David, Charles’ second wife, Elizabeth Priest, and stepson Mark Reid.

Charles had a great sense of humor and a kind and loving disposition, willing to help where he was able. He is greatly missed but his memory lives on in the people he loved and who loved him.