John Douglas Pitts "Jack" Fuller Jr.

Lt. Col. (Ret.) John Douglas Pitts "Jack" Fuller Jr., 82, died Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, in Blytheville.

Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on July 31, 1932, to the late John D.P. and Minnie Lawrence Mims Fuller, he was raised in Lexington, Virginia, and graduated from Lexington High School. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1954 and entered the United States Air Force. On April 4, 1964, he married Molly Jo Beasley, daughter of the late Dr. and Mrs. J.E. Beasley of Blytheville.

After serving in the USAF for 22 years, including a tour in the Vietnam War and tours in Europe, he retired at the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1977, during which time he received 10 Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He received a master of business administration from Syracuse University, under the Air Force Institute of Technology program.

After retiring from the USAF, "Jack" and his wife Molly moved with two daughters to Blytheville where he was employed at Blytheville Federal Savings and Loan Association. After eight years, he moved to the Mississippi County Library System for 26 years until his retirement.

He was a member of the Blytheville Rotary Club for 35 years and was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Blytheville. He was an avid gardener and a perpetually optimistic St. Louis Cardinals baseball fanatic.

He is survived by his wife, Molly Beasley Fuller;

Two daughters, Molly Collins and husband Jeff, LTC USA, Ret. of Nashville, Tennessee, and Lillian Bolinger and husband Todd, LTC, USAF of San Antonio, Texas;

Two grandchildren, Noah and Lucy Bolinger, also of San Antonio, Texas;

One nephew, Charles H. Binger; and

One great-niece, Emily J. Binger.

The family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday at Cobb Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the First Presbyterian Church. Burial will follow at Elmwood Cemetery, 900 N. 15th St., with full military honors.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the First Presbyterian Church or the Mississippi County Library.

Condolences to the family may be expressed online at www.cobbfuneralhome.com.