W.W. ‘Bud’ Fulbright, Jr., 82 of Beaumont, TX passed away June 22, 2009, at Memorial Hermann Baptist Beaumont Hospital following a brief illness. A native of Beaumont, Bud was the only child of the late W.W. “Rusty’ Fulbright, Sr. and Elizabeth “Sister” Marks Fulbright.
Raised on a farm outside of Hot Springs, AR., Bud returned to Texas with his parents and graduated from Beaumont High School in 1944. At the height of World War II, Bud joined the U.S. Navy and served as a Higgins boat crewman in the South Pacific.
Following the War, Bud attended ‘The’ University of Texas at Austin where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. After college, he returned to Beaumont and worked for the family owned Acme Transfer and Storage Company.
In the Spring of 1950, Bud married his college sweetheart Betty Stripling of Nacogdoches, TX. He and Betty had three children: W.W ‘Tres’ Fulbright, III (deceased); Jensey Fulbright Hale of Arlington, TX; and Guy Stripling Fulbright of Beaumont. In the mid-sixties, Bud opened a subsidiary of the family owned business in Baton Rouge, LA. With his father’s failing health, Bud and his family returned to Beaumont in the mid-seventies where he inherited control of the company. After 40 years of marriage and many trips to the beach, his wife Betty passed away in 1990.
In 1994, Bud married his life long family friend and Beaumont native, Joanne ‘Jody’ Stedman Yost, of Houston. Bud’s family united and grew with the addition of Jody’s three children: Fred Yost, Jr. of Boerne, TX; Anne Yost Elam of Beaumont; and James Yost of Beaumont. During their 15 years of marriage, Bud and Jody valued their time together as active members of the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Bud loved spending time with his family and four-legged friends Mac and Sam, early morning trail rides and looked forward to every Wednesday when he delivered Meals on Wheels and Thursday, when he served meals at Some Other Place. In his 82+ years on earth, Bud never met a stranger. He always had a good story – most of ‘em true!
In addition to his wife and children, Poppa Bear’s cheer and happiness is survived by Tres’ children, Clint and Cody Fulbright; Jensey and her husband Allen’s children Judd and Bekah Hale; Guy’s wife Autrey King Fulbright; Fred’s children Chris, Amy, and Fred; Anne’s daughter Josie Elam; and Jody’s four great grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in Beaumont on Wednesday, June 24, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church under the direction of Broussard’s Funeral Home. A gathering at the church of his family and friends will be at 1:00 p.m., with interment to follow the service in the Garden Columbarium.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 680 Calder, Beaumont, Texas 77701 or to Some Other Place (an ecumenical mission in urban ministry), 590 Center Street, Beaumont, Texas 77701.
