Fullam, Charles

Charles Edward Fullam, born in Brooklyn New York in 1947, passed away peacefully at his home in Groveland with his wife Geraldine at his side.

Charlie grew up in Oakridge, Tennessee where his father worked for the Atomic Energy Commission. There, he developed a love of hiking, backpacking, and caving. During the Vietnam War, he was a conscientious objector and served as a medic in Germany.

After his service, he moved West and settled in Yosemite, working for the El Portal Market and then for Yosemite National Park, first as an emergency dispatcher and then as a law enforcement ranger in Yosemite Valley. Over the next 30 years as a ranger, he further developed his outdoor skills: hiking, ski mountaineering, multi-day snow surveys, firefighting, and climbing- all of which he used in the hundreds of searches and rescues he performed over those decades.

As a first responder, he further developed the medical skills he learned while serving in Germany by becoming a paramedic and qualified to rappel from helicopters to render aid in the remote areas of Yosemite.

Mostly, though, Charlie will be remembered as a great storyteller able to recite, from memory, Robert Service’s The Cremation of Sam McGee, among other great epics. For most of his career, he was stationed at Lake Eleanor in the north part of Yosemite. There, he dedicated himself to protecting the land, critters, and helping tens of thousands of visitors have a safe and enjoyable visit to Yosemite. For this dedication to the park, he was recognized by his peers with the Barry Hance Award, among many other service awards.

The National Park Service is a small family and he and Geraldine have friends scattered in National Parks across the nation, loving the time they spend with them, the hikes they took and the memories shared. Good friends he leaves behind, George Durkee and Paige Meier, Tom and Nancy Griffith, Joann Bey, Jennifer Morris and so many more.

Charlie was preceded in death by his parents, Charles E. Fullam and Laurentina Fullam. He is survived by his dear sister Kathy Shanks, brother John Fullam and sister Mary Fullam as well as numerous nieces and nephews and, not least, his beloved Airedale Ben.

If you would like to remember Charlie with a charitable donation, some of his favorites are Planned Parenthood, Sierra Club, and The Southern Poverty Law Center. Services will be private at a later date.

• Age: 77
• Residence: Groveland, California