THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
Debbie Scott, niece of Lt. Walter Fuller, Jr., the first person to die in Vance County from complications of COVID-19, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Thursday at 11 a.m.
Scott contacted WIZS directly to pay tribute to her uncle, who passed away on Easter morning, Sunday, April 12, 2020, at the age of 72, following a confirmed positive case of the virus.
Fuller was well-known and respected in the community as a former Henderson Fire Department (HFD) lieutenant who retired with over 28 years of service in 2000, said Scott, and served as a “father-figure” to many, herself included.
Long-serving Henderson firefighter Lt. Walter Fuller, Jr., passed away on Easter morning, Sunday, April 12, 2020, at the age of 72, due to complications of COVID-19. (Photo courtesy the family of Fuller).
“Most people would know him as Lt. Walter Fuller, Jr., but we knew him in the family as Uncle Peewee,” Scott said. “That was his nickname because he only weighed three pounds when he was born.”
Prior to his decades-long service with the HFD, Fuller served as a firefighter for two years in Philadelphia before returning home to Henderson.
According to Scott, Fuller was also a professional photographer who captured joyful moments for his family and community members at weddings and other special occasions.
“He was a good person who went about doing good deeds; his profession was saving lives. He was a father, grandfather and great grandfather, and he was a wonderful uncle,” Scott said. “He was brave; he was the rock of our family and our hero. We looked up to him.”
While Scott would prefer Fuller to be remembered for his service to the community as opposed to his distinction as the first Vance County death due to COVID-19, she also warned listeners of the dangers of the virus.
“This virus is very serious and dangerous. I think we should do everything we can to follow protocol at this time. The way you have to deal with this is painful – you can’t see your loved one, talk to them or even be in the same building with them. No one wants to experience this.”
Scott said the healthcare workers at Maria Parham Health, Fuller’s ICU nurse, in particular, were instrumental in providing comfort during an emotional time for the family.
“We called his nurse for two days, and she was so wonderful. She gave him messages for us. We wanted him to know we loved him; he couldn’t talk. I called her back yesterday to thank her for what she did.”
In a touching surprise to Scott, WIZS reached out to Henderson Fire Chief Steve Cordell and former chief Danny Wilkerson, both who worked with Fuller for years, for comment.
Chief Cordell had this to say about Fuller, “He was a good, Christian man. When I came to work at the fire department in 1992, Lt. Fuller was a fire engineer, and I worked under him for my first six months. Lt. Fuller took me under his wing and taught me the ropes. I will always appreciate the effort he put into me as a young, 20-year-old coming in the door.”
Cordell continued, “I was able to see Lt. Fuller go from fire engineer to fire lieutenant over fire prevention, and he excelled in that position; he made a tremendous impact on young kids. He was able to take the enthusiasm that he brought every day to the job and use that to educate young kids and adults on fire safety.”
Wilkerson said, “He was a great person and a very good firefighter. He was at the fire department a few years before I started in 1975. Being a new firefighter, he gave me a lot of guidance, and I really took that to heart. He is also one of the first African-American firefighters that the Henderson Fire Department had.”
“The one thing Walter did that really stood out to me,” Wilkerson added with a chuckle, “was that he was all for enforcing the City’s fire lane and handicapped parking. I believe he wrote more fire lane and handicap parking violations than any firefighter or police officer at the time.”
Wilkerson’s final thoughts on Fuller echoed Scott’s sentiments expressed during the interview, “The thing that I always respected about Walter is that he put God first, then his family and then his fire department family, and he would tell you that is how your priorities in life should be.”
To hear the interview with Scott in its entirety, including comments from Cordell and Wilkerson, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.