Daniel J. Fullerton, longtime resident and businessman,dies

      Fullerton was described by his wife of 32 years, Barbara, as a caring and compassionate man who was extremely devoted to his family. "He was the one people looked to for strength and for guidance," she said.
      Fullerton loved being a funeral home director, and performed the job well for almost four decades. He was the third-generation owner/operator of the funeral home, a landmark business in Baldwin since 1937. Other family members described him as a faith-filled man who devoted many hours to community organizations like the Knights of Columbus and the Baldwin Fire Department, where he was a member and a former captain of Hose Company No. 1.
      "Dan was respected and liked by all who knew him," said Steven Lenkofsky, secretary of Hose Company No. 1, where Fullerton volunteered for nearly 40 years. "He was one of the wise men ... a mentor to us all. When you needed good advice, or instruction on how to get things done, he'd start you on the right track. Dan was very accessible."
      Childhood friend Michael McDermott called Fullerton an "irreplaceable and valued member of the community" who would be sorely missed. Past Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus and a fellow volunteer fireman, McDermott described Fullerton's contributions to community events as substantial. "The annual Feast at St. Christopher's and the Las Vegas Night would not have come together if not for Dan's generous and tireless efforts," he said.
      During his free time, Fullerton enjoyed hunting, cooking and a good joke. "Everyone loved his chili and baked clams," said his wife. He also liked singing and playing the guitar, bowling and camping with family and friends.
      Fullerton's daughter Jennifer Fritz described him as a "man's man" who played cards at the legion hall on Thursdays and bowled with his friends from the fire department on Fridays. But he was a family man as well. "Dad lived for his family and his grandchildren," Fritz said. In fact, she could not remember one school or sports event that her father didn't attend while she and her sisters were growing up.
      As serious as Fullerton's business called on him to be, "He could be the biggest kid with his family," said Fritz. "We went to Disney at least half a dozen times, and he had more fun than anyone. He loved playing around and being Pop Pop to his grandchildren." Jennifer is married to Matthew Fritz, who enjoyed hunting and camping with Fullerton and, according to Jennifer's mother, became the "son Dan never had." Similarly, daughter Kristin's longtime boyfriend, Marty Peters, also enjoyed a close relationship with the Fullertons.
      Though dozens of examples of Fullerton's generosity were cited by friends and family, one described by close friend and business associate Richard McIver stands out. "Dan was such a sensitive and giving man," McIver said. "If a customer came in who suffered a loss of a loved one, and they didn't have much to pay with, Dan would go out of his way to make sure that they received a respectable and dignified service."
      Besides his wife and daughters, Fullerton is survived by a third daughter, Joanne; three sisters, Elaine Grazier, Janet Burrowes and Anne August; two grandsons, Thomas and James Fritz; his mother-in-law, Helen Duffy; and many sisters- and brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
      Fullerton was reposed at the funeral home he directed, where more than 600 people paid him homage. Special services were held for members of the Knights of Columbus and the fire department on Jan. 2. A Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Christopher's Church on Jan. 3. Interment took place at the Resurrection Cemetery. Family members ask that donations be made to the American Diabetes Association in lieu of flowers.