Robert Edgar "Bob" Fulghum
Vital Information
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Robert Edgar "Bob" Fulghum | FaG #135422906 |
| Born | 28 Aug 1924 | FaG #135422906 |
| Birthplace | Winfield, Cowley County, Kansas (Cowley_County_Kansas) | FaG #135422906 |
| Died | 20 Aug 2003 (aged 78) | FaG #135422906 |
| Death Place | Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri | FaG #135422906 |
| Burial | Mount Moriah Cemetery, Kansas City, Jackson County, MO | FaG #135422906 |
| Father | Fred Forest Fulghum (1895-1966) | FaG #25618094 |
| Mother | Margaret Parsons Fulghum (1897-1926) | FaG #35001878 |
| Stepmother | Sybil_Dora_Holt_Fulghum (1900-1989) | FaG #25618094 |
| Stepbrother | Gale_Fulghum (1923-2007) | FaG #135422906 |
| Spouse | Dora Deane Fulghum (1925-2022), married ~1946, 57 years | FaG #135422906 |
| Military | TEC 5, US Army Air Forces, World War II | FaG #135422906, headstone inscription |
| Unit | 860th Engineer Aviation Battalion, South Pacific | FaG #135422906 |
Biography
Robert Edgar "Bob" Fulghum was born on August 28, 1924, in Winfield, Cowley County, Kansas, to Fred Forest Fulghum and Margaret Parsons Fulghum. His mother Margaret died on December 14, 1926, when Bob was two years old. She was buried with her Parsons family at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Winfield.
By 1928, Bob's father Fred married Sybil Dora Holt, a widow whose first husband Clinton Woodward "Jack" Orrill had died in a refinery explosion in March 1926. Sybil brought Gale into the marriage. Gale had been born "Infant Lloyd" to Clara Lloyd in February 1923 and raised by Clinton and Sybil as their own child (birth certificate File No. 916). Bob and Gale were raised as brothers. Gale's memoir refers to Bob simply as his brother throughout.
Before the marriage, both boys lived on the Holt farm near Wilmot, Cowley County, Kansas, cared for by Sybil's great-uncle and aunt, John William Holt and Clara Effie Kennedy Holt. By 1929 the family was in Augusta, Kansas, and by 1935 they had settled at 1222 North Liberty, Independence, Missouri.
Bob served in World War II as a TEC 5 in the US Army Air Forces with the 860th Engineer Aviation Battalion in the South Pacific. The 860th was involved in airfield construction during MacArthur's campaign, including the assault on Biak (May 1944) and the rapid construction of the airfield on Owi Island.
After the war, Bob entered carpentry and construction in 1946, working his way from apprentice in a cabinet shop to journeyman, foreman, and superintendent on commercial building projects. He was a life member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 30. His interests included hunting, fishing, and restoring cars.
Bob married Dora Deane (~1946). They were married for 57 years until his death. Dora Deane Fulghum survived him, living until 2022.
Bob died on August 20, 2003, eight days before his 79th birthday, in Kansas City, Missouri. He is buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery.
Relationship Clarification
Gale Fulghum's memoir ("The Best of Times," 2004) refers to Bob as his brother throughout. They were raised together from early childhood. However, they shared no biological parents. Bob was the biological son of Fred Forest Fulghum and Margaret Parsons. Gale was born "Infant Lloyd" to Clara Lloyd (birth certificate File No. 916, Kansas City, 1923), with no father listed; he was subsequently raised by Clinton Orrill and Sybil Holt, then adopted into the Fulghum family when Sybil married Fred. Both boys took the Fulghum surname.
Note: Find a Grave memorials for both Fred (#25618094) and Margaret (#35001878) list Gale and Bob as children. This reflects Fred's role as father/stepfather to both boys, not biological parentage.
Document Sources
| Document | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Find a Grave #135422906 | Memorial page | findagrave.com |
| Find a Grave #25618094 (Fred Forest Fulghum) | Memorial page | findagrave.com |
| Find a Grave #35001878 (Margaret Parsons Fulghum) | Memorial page | findagrave.com |
| "The Best of Times" memoir (2004) | Personal memoir | Photo captions #3, #14, #17 |
Data Discrepancies
| Field | Source A | Source B | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth year | 1924 (FaG #135422906) | 1925 (memoir, Family Tree) | FaG memorial and headstone say 1924; memoir estimate of 1925 was approximate |
| Mother | Margaret Parsons (FaG) | Sybil Dora Holt (vault, prior assumption) | Margaret is biological mother; Sybil was stepmother after 1928 |
| Relationship to Gale | "Brother" (memoir) | Stepbrother (FaG, vital records) | Raised together from early childhood; functionally brothers, biologically stepbrothers |
| Death location | Kansas City, MO (FaG #135422906) | Lee's Summit, MO (Ancestry index) | FaG memorial preferred; both in Jackson County metro area |