Benjamin S. Fulford

WASHINGTON?Benjamin S. Fulford, 91, of Washington, went to be with the Lord at 6:53 p.m., Wednesday, December 31, 2014 at Lutheran Hillside Village in Peoria. Ben was born on August 28, 1923 in Ozona, Florida to Ben P. and Margaret A. (Stumpf) Fulford. He married Inez Mae Brandt in Washington on August 5, 1951. Inez went to be with the Lord on November 27, 2003 in Tampa, Florida. Among those surviving are their two children, Mark (Karen) Fulford of Peoria and Sheila (Reverend James) Reynolds of Washington; four grandsons, Zachary (Lauren) Fulford, Joshua Fulford, Benjamin Reynolds and Andrew Reynolds and a great grandson, William Fulford. He was also preceded in death by one sister, Victoria and a grandson, James Reynolds, Jr. Ben retired from Caterpillar after 30 years where he had been a processer in the East Peoria Met Lab. After retirement, Ben enjoyed attending the weekly meetings of the Caterpillar Retiree?s Club. He was an Army Veteran of World War II, serving in the 78th Division, 310 infantry and had been awarded the purple heart. Ben was a very active 50 plus year member of the Evangelical United Methodist Church in Washington. He served many years as a lay speaker, traveling Illinois to speak at various EUB/UMC churches. During his years at the church he served in every office except that as pastor. Ben was always quick to offer a prayer to those in need, up until his last few days. Ben loved to play golf, shuffleboard and bingo. He was a graduate of Washington Community High School. The family would like to extend their thanks to the staff for the care they provided to their Dad at Lutheran Hillside Village at Bethel Place and Emmanual Place the past 3 years. A celebration of life service for Ben will be held on Monday, January 5, 2015 at 2 p.m. at Evangelical United Methodist Church in Washington with Pastor Jim Reynolds officiating. Burial will follow in Glendale Cemetery in Washington. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church. Mason-White Funeral Home is assisting the family in arrangements. Memorials for Ben may be directed to the church. Online condolences may be made to the family at masonfuneralhomes.com