Anne Watkins Bass Fulk

ANNE WATKINS BASS FULK, 84, died December 31, 2016. She was born on March 24, 1932, in Little Rock, the only daughter of Mildred Farley Walker Bass and Walter R. Bass. She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Augustus Marion Fulk III (Gus); their four children, Marion Walker Fulk (Jeff Rosenzweig) of Little Rock, Martin Keane Fulk (Lisa Shea) of Denver, Colo., Col. Baucum Walter Fulk (Anna Swallow) currently stationed in Jerusalem, Israel, and Austin Marshall Fulk (Brian Moulton) of Arlington Va.; and her three grandchildren, Watkins Fulk-Gray of Steamboat Springs, Colo., Lucy Ellery Fulk of Denver, and Linus Augustus Fulk of Denver. She is also survived by her brothers Claibourne Bass (Cathy) and Hugh Bass (Rita). She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers Walter Bass (Susan), Cooper Bass (Pat) and Robert Bass (Joan). Anne attended Pulaski Heights Elementary and Junior High Schools, and graduated from Little Rock Central High. She and her friend Lorene Lloyd McAfee Patterson went to Vassar College together in the fall of 1950 and graduated in 1954. Gus first met Anne in 1948, when he went with a friend to Christ Episcopal Church and saw "this beautiful blonde," singing in the choir. They began dating while she was at Vassar and he was a student at Columbia University. They married October 19, 1954, at Christ Church. While Gus served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific, Anne lived in California. In 1957, they returned to Little Rock, and built the home they shared until her death. They established friendships that lasted through the decades, including the couples in their monthly bridge club. Anne's "Lunch Bunch" circle and "Tuna Society" friends were among her closest. She was a believer in exercise, and swam or walked or attended a fitness class daily. Anne was a lifelong member of Christ Church; her ancestors helped establish the church in 1839. She sang in the choir as a teenager, and then sang from the congregation, sitting with Gus, until the Sunday before her death. Anne was a friendly, outgoing extrovert, and was quick to welcome newcomers and talk to strangers. She was active in all church activities, including the Episcopal Churchwomen, at both Christ Church and the Diocese of Arkansas, serving on the boards of both groups. Anne liked to run organizations, and was often president or secretary of the boards that she served on. These included the Aesthetic Club, of which she was president from 1993 to 1995; her mother and daughter were members along with her. She believed in ecumenical understanding, which led to her involvement in Church Women United, where she served as a board member and officer. Many of her volunteer hours went to aiding women and children, including the PTAs at her childrens' schools, and later, Second Genesis, which served women in prison and their children. She was member of the Women's Emergency Committee, which helped re-open the Little Rock schools after they were closed in 1957. Her interest in Arkansas history led her to join the Arkansas Women's History Institute, of which she was secretary for many years, the Arkansas Pioneers Association, and the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History. She was one of the founding members of the University History Institue at UALR and was a fellow and life member of the group, serving many years on its board and as its secretary. She was often a judge at the Institute's History Day events. As a young woman, she worked for the American Red Cross, and was a supporter of the Arkansas Arts Center and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. She was a member of the Junior League, and she and Gus were members of The Country Club of Little Rock. Anne was a voracious reader. Often she would be awake for several hours in the middle of the night, which gave her more time to read. She gave book reviews for various organizations and helped manage the Pass Around Book Club. She read to all her children, and began taking them to the library at young ages. She was a regular user of the Fletcher Library of the Central Arkansas Library System: at her death, there was a pile of library books in her living room, and others waiting for her on the hold shelf. She and Gus did not travel much; he preferred to stay home, and eat her cooking, which was outstanding. Every Christmas, she made fruitcake and eggnog, using her grandmother's recipes. The fruitcake recipe was included in the Junior League cookbook, "Little Rock Cooks." Funeral will be Thursday, January 5, 2017, at Christ Episcopal Church, at 10:30 a.m., with a reception afterwards. Visitation will be Wednesday, January 4, 2017, at Ruebel Funeral Home, from 5-7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to Christ Episcopal Church or the Arkansas Symphony or the Arkansas Arts Center, or a charity of your choice. Arrangements are by Ruebel Funeral Home www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.