Warren "Dale" Fulkerson Obituary (1931 - 2023)

Warren "Dale" Fulkerson, 91, a native of Livingston County, died on Thursday, January 5, 2023, at 12:45 a.m., at Evenglow Lodge in Pontiac. Funeral services will be held on Monday, January 9, 2023, at 11:00am at Calvert and Martin Funeral Home in Pontiac, IL, with Rev. Gretchen Stinebaugh officiating. Burial will be at Sunny Slope Cemetery in Saunemin. There will be no visitation. Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church, OSF Hospice, or to a charity of the donor's choice. Dale was born in Long Point Township on November 21, 1931, a son of Delbert and Edith (Taylor) Fulkerson. He married Martha Galbreath on June 10, 1956. He later married Nita (Smith) Steffens on March 14 ,1992. She preceded him in death on February 7, 2011. He is survived by his two children, Kathryn (Michael) Lantz of Ontario, CA, and Alan Fulkerson of South Dakota; four stepchildren, Stephen (Carole) Collins, Diana (Ron) Harms, Gordon (Donna) Steffens, and Brenda (Brad) McKee; two grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and twelve step grandchildren; He is also survived by a brother, Roy (Marilyn) Fulkerson of Isabella, MO; and one brother in law, Bill Fitzsimmons of Pontiac, IL. He is preceded in death by his parents, one son, Paul, one brother, Gerald Fulkerson, and one sister, Marilyn Fitzsimmons. Mr. Fulkerson was a 1949 graduate of Cornell Community High School. He enlisted in the United States Air Force for 4 years in January of 1951. Three of those years were spent in Germany. Following his honorable discharge, he attended the University of Illinois and obtained a bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He then moved to California where he worked for the Pomona Division degree in engineering from the West Coast University in Los Angeles. His work consisted primarily of planning tests and analyzing test results from firings of surface-to-air missiles developed by General Dynamics for the U.S. Navy. He retired in 1992. Prior to his wife's illness, he was an active member of the Kiwanis Club, and a volunteer at the OSF St. James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center. He was also a member of the First United Methodist Church and the Elk's Club. He enjoyed "Tinkering" in his garage, where he made mechanical models out of wood.