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A very special lady has left us to be reunited with loved ones and her Lord Jesus. After celebrating her 99th birthday recently, Dorothy Virginia (Beeman) Fuller passed away peacefully on April 10, 2024 at Spirit Mountain Hospice.
Dorothy was born on April 5, 1925 in Axtell, Nebraska to Hazel and John Clark Beeman. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Denver, Colorado where her father practiced podiatry and owned a shoe store. At an early age she personally sought out and established a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ. She grew up in Denver and graduated from South High School in 1943. She attended and graduated cum laude from the University of Colorado with a degree in business in 1947.
While there, she was a very active member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and met the love of her life, Ernest F. Fuller, who was a hasher at the sorority house and played basketball for the university.
Dorothy and Ernie were married May 29, 1948 at her parents’ home in Denver. They lived in the mountains west of Denver in the communities of Genesee Park and Indian Hills from 1948-1959. During that time, they had two children, Nancy Tia and Ernest Jr. They made many lifelong friends while there and Dorothy sold Avon products while Ernie traveled to Denver to work. They loved their charming mountain home.
In 1959 they built a home and moved to Lakewood, Colorado where their third child, Clark Beeman was born. Dorothy worked as a school secretary and was a wonderful homemaker for her family.
After the death of Dorothy’s parents in 1971, she and Ernie fulfilled a lifelong dream and moved to Cody, Wyoming where they bought and successfully ran a cattle ranch. Sons Ernie and Clark attended school in Cody while daughter Nancy attended college, married, and lived in Denver. Although she had been raised a city girl, Dorothy welcomed and enjoyed the country lifestyle and fully participated in running the ranch.
In 1982 Nancy and her husband Bob Brown moved from Denver to Cody and opened Big Horn Gallery in partnership with Dorothy and Ernie. Dorothy’s business skills were an invaluable asset to the business. In 1983 the Fullers and Browns assumed ownership of the struggling Buffalo Bill Art Show, still in its infancy. After a year, the show was transferred to the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce and has grown to become a major art show. Dorothy continued to serve on the board of the Buffalo Bill Art Show for many years and in 2006, she and Ernie were named and served as honorary co-chairs due to their longtime involvement and support of the art show.
In 1984 Dorothy and Ernie sold their interest in the gallery and opened Wyoming Trading Post, a boutique featuring Indian artifacts, Navajo weavings and specialized art. During the past 53 years in Cody, Dorothy served on the Shoshone Recreation Board, was a member of PEO Chapter D, the Cody Country Cowbelles, and served as a deacon and elder in the Presbyterian Church.
Dorothy enjoyed hiking, camping, boating, fishing and traveling. She was a sophisticated art collector and critic and loved to scour the newspaper. She was an avid sports fan who loved supporting the Colorado Rockies, Denver Broncos and all Cody athletics. In 2015, she was selected as the “Greatest Wyoming High School Football Fan of the Year” and honored in Laramie with an award by the Wyoming Chapter of the National Football Association. In her later years, she enjoyed dining and bingo at the Cody Senior Center where she met many good friends.
Dorothy was always very true to herself. She was strong, loyal and loving. She treasured her family and friends and impressed all who knew her with her class and sharp mind.
Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband and is survived by daughter Nancy Tia Brown (Robert Brown), son Ernest F. Fuller Jr (Laura Fuller), and son Dr. Clark Beeman Fuller (Vivian Liu). She had 10 grandchildren: Christopher, Jennifer, Nicholas, Tia (Nancy), Jackson, Leah (Ernest), Jesse, John, Charlie and David (Clark), 14 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren
Funeral services will be held Friday, April 19 at 10:30 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Cody. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Cody Senior Center or Spirit Mountain Hospice.
Special thank yous to caregiver Wendy Shaw, Dr. Adam Peters and staff, Cody Regional Health, Spirit Mountain Hospice, and many close friends and family who helped along the way.
Memories and condolences can be shared on Dorothy Fuller’s memorial page at BallardFH.com.
