||| FROM TIM FULLER |||


On May 5, Martha Fuller, of Orcas Island, passed away peacefully in La Paz, Mexico where she and her husband, Tim, were spending the winter months.

Though diagnosed with severe liver disease in late 2020, she continued to be kind, generous, witty, courageous and funny till the very end.

Martha was born and raised in Northeastern Indiana and left to attend Drake University where she graduated summa cum laude. From there she began her career in finance becoming the Director of Finance for the City of St. Paul, MN and subsequently was appointed that city’s Director of Planning and Economic Development.

While in St. Paul, Martha was hired by the Minnesota Wild of the NHL to be the team’s Chief Financial Officer and went on to become the CFO of the Seattle Seahawks (NFL) and Seattle Sounders FC (MLS), as well as the CFO of Vulcan Inc. (Paul Allen’s holding company). The world of professional sports beckoned again and she was hired to be a senior vice president and CFO of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning in Tampa, FL.

Martha and Tim purchased a home on Orcas Island in 2006 spending weekends and holidays here until becoming full-time residents in 2014. Martha very quickly became involved in the Orcas community serving on the boards of the Orcas Island Community Foundation, the Orcas Public Library, the San Juan Preservation Trust, and as a member of the Eastsound Planning Review Committee and on the OPAL Community Land Trust working group that developed a community loan fund for people seeking affordable housing on the island.

Her last career choice took many by surprise, but not for those who knew her well, as a vibrant, smart, unselfish, hardworking and caring human being. She applied for, and was hired to be a prep cook, server, bartender at the popular Lower Tavern in Eastsound, Orcas Island. “Why?” the owner asked during her interview with him suggesting she was over-qualified. She responded she certainly was not over-qualified, “I’ve never worked in a tavern kitchen!”

But what Martha found most rewarding was to be a role model and mentor to young women in the corporate world. As one of those young women said upon learning of Martha’s death, “Martha was one of the most influential people in my life. She had a way of making a person feel bigger than they assumed they could be. She taught me that empowering those around you is so much more fulfilling than feeding your own ego. She made me feel valued, smart and like I was a special friend.”

In remembrance of Martha Fuller, please make a donation to a charity of your choice.

SEE ALSO: theorcasonian.com/in-tribute-we-cant-know-everything/


 

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