Funeral services will be held for Billye Ruth (Spanhanks) Fuller on Thursday, August 28, 2014 at 2:00 pm in the Prater-Lampton-Mills & Coffey Funeral Home Chapel. Family will receive friends from 6:00-7:00 pm on Wednesday, August 27, 2014 in the Prater-Lampton-Mills & Coffey Funeral Home Chapel.
Billye Ruth (Spanhanks) Fuller went to be with the Lord on August 23, 2014. She was 87 years old. She was born July 13, 1927 in Sawyer, OK. She was one of nine children born to William Marion and Annie Cleo (Barker) Spanhanks. She graduated high school at Ft. Towson and remained in the Sawyer area all her life. She married Bill Gene Fuller on June 17, 1946 in Paris, TX. Together, they had five children.
Ruth worked at the Choctaw Memorial Hospital. She owned and operated a café in Sawyer for many years in the late 1970’s. She worked at the original Wal-Mart store until she retired. She, along with her husband, Bill, her sister and brother-in-law, Hazel & Sherman Sheets, her father and mother-in-law, John & Cleo Fuller, and friends, Woods and Lera Garner, helped to build what is now the Sawyer Baptist Church. Ruth played piano there for many years.
Ruth is survived by one daughter: Shelia Fuller of Sawyer, OK; one son, Billy Fuller, and wife, Ruthie (Felter) Fuller, of Frogville, OK; grandchildren: Shannon Payne and wife, Ami, of Ft. Towson, OK, Kimberly Payne of Oklahoma City, OK, Shelly Rentz and Sonya Fuller of Frogville, OK, Brandy O’Marro of Oshkosh, WI, and B.J. Smith of Arkansas; great grandchildren: Dylan, Deanne, and Demi Payne of Ft. Towson, OK, Zane Weatherford of Sawyer, OK, Tuff Rentz, Spencer Allen, and Jaley Smith of Frogville, OK, Collin and Ireland O’Marro of Oshkosh, WI; step-grandchildren: Kenny Mandrell and wife, Marie, of Baytown, TX, and Valerie Mandrell of Sawyer, OK. Ruth was the last of the generation of the Spanhanks children and was loved by all her nieces and nephews. Before her passing, many of them made it a point to come and see her. She was so happy to spend time with them.
Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, Bill Gene Fuller; two daughters: Hazel Snooky Fuller and Sonya Jade Fuller; one son: John Jessie Fuller; her step-granddaughter: Pamela Mandrell Peters; eight brothers and sisters: Buster Spanhanks, Jean Birdwell, Sybil McGregor, Louise Bowen Swink, Joan Jones, Betty Troutman, Lucille Huff, and Don Spanhanks.
She was a member of the Sawyer Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Sawyer Cemetery Fund, in care of Melba Cloud, Box 122, Sawyer, OK 74756.
Family and friends are invited to sign the guest book or send private condolences to the family at www.praterlampton.com.
