Today's Featured Biography

 
Joy Gordon Fullerton

After high school I ventured into the world of health care. I graduated from nursing school and became an RN with an Associate Degree. In 1968, I met the man of my dreams and he married me. Eventually we added a son then a daughter, to our family. They made our lives complete we, thought, until two terrific grandkids have been added.

Dave and I spent 36-1/2 wonderful years together. I won't say it was always wedded bliss but I got the best end of the deal. He has been, and is, my soulmate. I think I can explain what love is just by sharing some of the adventures the poor man went through.

Dave was a career Navy man. Our home was U.S. Navy clear through. He was also a "meat and potato" guy. In fact, if it weren’t for the Navy "family" my husband probably would have starved to death. Mom never liked anyone messing in her kitchen, so my experience with cooking left a lot to be desired--and NO ONE can live on chocolate chip cookies for the rest of their lives--though Dave tried!!

The first meal I cooked for him was pork chops. Whooo could possibly mess up a pork chop?? You guessed it. I cooked that sucker until it was dead clean through. After all, we learned about trichinosis in nursing school and I knew I didn't want my new husband getting any of that! That chop was so dead he couldn't cut it with a steak knife. But love won out and somehow he choked it down and complimented me on it.

The meatloaf was another disaster altogether! I called Mom to find out how to make that. 350-degrees for one hour, and then 15 minutes at 400 to brown it. I must have been dyslexic because I baked that thing in a 400-degree oven for 55 minutes when I decided to turn it down to 350 for 10 minutes. It was so charred on the outside and raw on the inside, we didn't eat it. I once made a fish and spinach casserole from a Better Homes & Gardens recipe, that was "--to die for". We almost did! I found out about TV dinners my first month of marriage and Dave thought they were a great idea. The other Navy wives, God bless them, took me under their wings and taught me how to cook. And Mom took mercy on Dave by donating my grandmother's best recipes! After that, things were looking up--in the meal department.

Our first trip to Missouri as a married couple did me no favor when, after seeing a sign on the way down that read "rabbits for sale-fully dressed", I asked my new mother-in-law why they put clothes on rabbits!!!!

Laundry; Now that was another story. Mom never let me do the laundry except to hang the clothes out on the line, so I was ignorant of that skill. However, ignorance was not bliss and when Dave came home one day to find me IRONING HIS UNDERWEAR, he taught me about permanent press!

Another disaster! First time I did our laundry, I wasn't very good at separating colors. Needless to say Dave's pink uniform shirt that was suppose to be white, wasn't regulation!! And when I tried to wash and iron his lid cover (the white part of his Navy hat) the iron got stuck inside and he ended up with a beautiful brown iron print right in the middle of the hat. We spent a lot of time at Great Lakes that year, refurbishing his uniform supply!!!

Now tell me--ARE THOSE NOT SACRIFICES OF LOVE?

I'm a Sagittarian and proud of it. They say we are flamboyant, a party looking for a place to start. Sagittarians are oblivious. I read in one description that they have an unusual way of articulating ideas. For example one might approach you and say:
"I love that turtleneck on you; it really hides your double chin"-- and leave feeling as though they've given you a sincere compliment. Well, I hate to admit that, that may be true in my case.

Professionally I didn't get a great start either. The first time I tried to speak to a Spanish-speaking female patient (I got all A-s in Spanish class), I apparently told her leg to go to hell. Somehow hell and pain were confused and where I learned THAT in Spanish I'll never know!

So I swore off speaking anything but English to my patients until a few years ago. A lady from deep rural Mexico was visiting her son. She was admitted to ICU and one of the nurses asked me to help her explain to the lady that she couldn't just get up and roam around. "Senora. (pointing to the bed) aqui por favor". She responded: "Aqui NO!" Well, that went well---except she didn't want to stay in the bed. So, I told the nurse to call her son and seek his help to explain it to his mother. I told the nurse that when she contacted the son, tell the woman: "Hermano en telefono". The nurse did just that and nearly gave this 91 year old woman a stroke. She thought we were miraculously contacting her hermano (brother) who had died some three years before. We should have told her, her filio was on the phone! I no longer speak anything but English now!

Over the years I've learned how right my Dad was when he would tell me: "People don't usually learn as much by doing things right".

Because Dave was gone a lot, our two kids always turned to me for help and direction. However, when Dave was around--they preferred resourcing him (go figure). To this day, they think they had the smartest dad in the world (personally I knew he was a genius with the patience of Job).

But on the more serious side, I've spent over 36 years with a great guy, none better. 38 years in a profession that I love to this day. Since retiring in Missouri, I've been employed by Truman Medical Center. With the love and support of Dave and my kids, I earned my BSN from CMSU and got promoted to Director of Shift Operations, then retired after 22 years of service. I've seen and dealt with more situations, human emotions, miracles and mishaps than I ever dreamed of some 40 years ago. I wouldn't trade any of it. Nursing was and still is my salvation during the hardest of times.

Dave and I raised two wonderful human beings. They have their father's strength of spirit, his kind, and generous nature. And the best of all is being grandparents. A beautiful granddaughter and lively grandson that put the twinkle in our eyes each day.

We have a farm in Kansas that Dave's brothers have helped run. It was our escape from the hurry up, everyday hassles. Living in the country is so different from when I grew up in Chicago. After all, in the country you wake up to the birds singing instead of coughing! (I'm sorry, I had to throw that in). There are times when I miss Chicago, though few (except for the friends I've left behind). But there truly is something to be said for the peace that is felt when the quiet breeze rustles the leaves of a cottonwood on a warm day or watching the sun quietly set on a pasture of glistening snow. The birth of a newborn foal or calf makes you realize how very significant ALL life is.

On January 13th 2005, we lost our beloved Dave to cancer. His struggle was as heroic as his life. The strength he always gave to his family will help us carry on without him. The memories he left us will sustain us, and his loving patience for his family have created lasting bonds. Having been through many losses in my life, I know the pain of this one will always remain. But I also thank God for the blessing of having my Dave, and all whom I've lost. They've touched my life with greatness.

So my story is simply one of going from the foolish ignorance of youth to an evolution of life and learning. Learning that never stops. Learning that the most important lessons in life are the ones that have taught me to appreciate loved ones, personal values, and be grateful to God for the blessings I have.

Bless you all.

VIEW ALL BIOGRAPHIES