Judge Hilton Monroe Fuller, Jr.

Judge Hilton Fuller, born in Atlanta in 1941 to Dr. Hilton Fuller and Viola Singleton, died on the 14th day of February 2024, just two days shy of his 83rd birthday. He passed away from complications due to surgery.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 57 years, Peggy Hearn Fuller; his son, Hilton Monroe Fuller III (Monty); and his sister, Anne Fuller Roberts. Hilton is survived by his children, Elizabeth Jane Fuller (John deMoulpied) and Margaret Anne Fuller, and by his grandchildren, Timothy (14) and Amir (6). After Peggy's death in 2021, he fell in love again and is survived by that love, Ellen Agnor Bailey, as well as by many relatives, close friends, and neighbors at the Holbrook of Decatur.

A product of the Atlanta school system, Hilton attended Spring Street Elementary and Grady High School. He played football for Grady while his future wife, Peggy, was a cheerleader. He enjoyed many lake trips, football games, and sock hops. While in high school, Hilton was recruited to play college football at the University of Florida. He was a member of the freshman football team at UF until an injury ended his mediocre (his word) athletic career.

In the summer of 1962, Hilton applied for and received early admission into Emory law school where he was president of the law school student body. During that time, he and Peggy reconnected and she agreed to marry him! Hilton graduated from Emory and began a successful litigation practice. After some years in private practice, he ran for and was elected to the Superior Court in Dekalb County where he served for 25 years and for many years after that as a Senior Judge. Hilton saw the law as a vehicle for justice and he never wavered in his commitment to doing what he thought was right.

Throughout his career, Judge Fuller was a teacher of lawyers and judges. He served as an adjunct professor of law at Georgia State School of Law and as a faculty member of the National Judicial College. He was an accomplished public speaker, primarily on matters concerning the judiciary, and he thrived in front of a crowd. He served as President of the Georgia Council of Superior Court Judges and held many other leadership positions. While building his career, he also made time to coach children's soccer teams, attend many, many ballet recitals and basketball games, and drive neighborhood kids around in his 1972 orange Jeep Renegade.

Hilton had a dry sense of humor and brown eyes that sparkled. He was simultaneously simple and complex. His favorite food was ketchup, but the issues he liked to discuss while eating things smothered in ketchup often involved complex medical ethics. He was not afraid of venturing into unchartered territory and had a heart for anyone who was struggling. He offered people a hand when they needed one and believed that with help, anyone could rise from adversity and stand tall.

Many people, including lawyers, friends, neighbors, and his children recount times when Hilton listened to problems both big and small with an open mind and open heart, and then gave people the support they needed. He believed each person he encountered was valuable and had a voice that deserved to be heard. He was fair and he was kind. The world was a better place with Hilton Fuller in it, and he will be greatly missed.

Donations can be made to the Healthcare Ethics Consortium at Emory University. https://hcecg.org/

The family would like to thank Dede Marie Ekue for her caregiving. Dede was with Peggy through Parkinson's Disease and she was with Hilton as he prepared to reunite with his loving wife. God knew the Fullers needed support and he provided an angel on earth. A memorial and celebration of life will be held at 3 pm. on Saturday, February 24, 2024 at Decatur First United Methodist Church in Decatur, GA.