Peggy Hearn Fuller

Peggy Hearn Fuller
February 9, 1941- February 27, 2021

Peggy Hearn Fuller passed away peacefully on February 27, 2021, surrounded by her husband of 57 years, her two daughters, and her loving caregiver. She died from complications of Parkinson’s disease. She was predeceased by her parents, Freeman McGarity Hearn and Janie Callahan Hearn, her son, Hilton Monroe Fuller III (Monty), and her dear aunt Emma Gene Gentry.

Peggy was joyful, witty, kind and curious, a devoted friend, wife and mother, and an adoring grandmother. Though she lived with Parkinson’s for more than 16 years, she never gave up on having fun, loving, and living her best life. She loved her family and her friends; she loved dancing and singing, and eating gelato. Her trips to Italy, Scotland, and England were some of her favorite adventures.

Peggy was an Atlanta native and a graduate of Emory University. She and her beloved husband, Hilton, were first acquainted in the nursery at Georgia Baptist Hospital in February 1941, where Peggy had been born just one week before Hilton. As Hilton likes to say, “I married an older woman!” Peggy and Hilton both attended Grady High School, but didn’t begin dating until after college, when Peggy was teaching at Dykes High School and Hilton was in law school. Peggy later taught English at Ar’Lyn Worth School and The Westminster Schools, both in Atlanta. Her love of the English language and of literature was a constant in her life, and her eyes sparkled as she shared what book she had recently discovered or when she inquired as to what someone else was currently reading. After raising her three children, Peggy returned to working with students at Georgia Tech’s Presbyterian Student Center, which was a job that she loved. She maintained relationships with many of the Tech students for decades after graduation.

Peggy had a gift for making lifelong friends at every stage of her life. Her many groups of friends delighted and sustained her through life’s ups and downs. Her oldest childhood friends-the “Peaches,” or, as they later called themselves, the “Pickled Peaches”-checked in with her daily up to the moment of her death. Peggy and Hilton were both active members of the Decatur First United Methodist Church and the Debtors Sunday School Class. Her friends from church and from her Druid Hills community also supported her and loved her until her last day.

In her sixties, Peggy discovered the joy of the stage and began performing in plays and musicals with her church and with several theater companies in Highlands, NC. She even encouraged Hilton to appear with her in the Highlands Playhouse production of Annie, such was her gift for bringing others along for the fun. One of Peggy’s most joyous days was when her grandson Timothy Hilton Fuller was born. She treasured every moment with Timothy. Saying goodbye to this wonderful, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend is not easy. She was brave and kind, and she will be forever missed.

Peggy is survived by her husband, Judge Hilton Fuller, her two daughters, Elizabeth Jane Fuller (Beth) and Margaret Anne Fuller, her son-in law, John deMoulpied (Beth), her grandson Timothy, and countless friends and relatives, including Sherry Goldston of Maine. The family wishes to extend gratitude to the wonderful caretakers who lovingly brought comfort to Peggy in her final years, most especially Lydia Justice, DeDe Ekue, Deborah Howard, and Sheron Webb. The family also thanks the staff at Holbrook Decatur and everyone who held their hands, literally and virtually, during every step of the journey.

A virtual service will be held for Peggy at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 25, 2021. Donations in Peggy’s name can be made to the Freeman Hearn (Peggy’s father) scholarship fund at Young Harris College. The funds will be used to support a student who otherwise would not be able to afford an education at Young Harris.