Lionel H. "Bud" Fuller, Jr.

Bud Fuller, 90, of Midwest City, OK passed away on Sunday, June 16, 2024. He was born in Dallas, Texas on May 26, 1934, to the late LH and Nancy Fuller (Caddell). He was a gifted student and skipped two grades in elementary school. A favorite story he liked to tell was about the time he played The Star-Spangled Banner on the trumpet when he was in junior high at an SMU football game when Doak Walker was their star running back. He graduated in 1951 from Highland Park High School, where he played baseball, participated in multiple clubs, and was a member of ROTC. He attended Southern Methodist University, graduating in 1955 with a degree in Biology/Pre-Med. He was a member of Delta Chi Fraternity and served as a Teaching Assistant in the Chemistry Department. He was very proud of his achievements at SMU. It was during this time that he met the love of his life, Susie Rager, as she had hired him as her Calculus tutor during her senior year at The Hockaday School. Bud and Susie were married on June 10, 1958, and were together for 49 years until her sudden passing on November 5, 2007. After SMU, he attended medical school at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, TX. After he graduated in 1959, they moved to Oklahoma City, OK, where he completed his residency and internship in Orthopedic Surgery at The University of Oklahoma medical school, where he was Chief Resident. He would go on to practice orthopedics for 35 years at Midwest City Memorial Hospital. During his tenure as a surgeon, he touched thousands of patients’ lives with his healing hands. He was a veteran of the U.S Army. He was a Captain in the Medical Corps, serving as a surgeon during The Vietnam War from 1966-1969 at Ft. Campbell, KY., home of the 101st Airborne (The Screaming Eagles). Bud’s favorite hobby was his cattle “ranch”, where he attended to a small herd of registered Limousin cattle, a llama named Chico, and various other dogs and cats. As the descendant of a Texas cattleman, this was in his blood. He loved working the operation, rising early and working late. He and Susie also loved to travel, they were always on the go somewhere either together or with their large circle of friends. He followed his “adopted” OSU Cowboys, the SMU Mustangs, and would often raise his UT Longhorns flag during Red River Rivalry week. He was a master of the grill, loved a good scotch or glass of wine, and had an ear for poetry. He is survived by his son, L. Charles “Chuck” Fuller, III (Leigh Ann) of Tulsa, OK; his daughter, Mary Elizabeth Fuller Luckowski (James) of Choctaw, OK; his grandchildren, Jackson Fuller (Caileigh), Chandler Fuller, of Dallas, TX, Mary Anne Hartgers (James), and Samuel Christopher Luckowski (Brittany) of Choctaw, OK; and his great grandchildren, Maisie Sue Hartgers, Cameron Lee Hartgers, Mariam Sue Luckowski, and Joseph Christopher Luckowski. In lieu of flowers, please donate to OKAdoptADog in Harrah, Oklahoma:https://greatnonprofits.org/org/ok-adopt-a-dog. A reception will be held at Mary Luckowski’s home following the service. Please email Mary for directions (marye2315@icloud.com).