Debra Fuller

Debra Ann Fuller (nee. Justice) (b. 13th February 1926) was a resident of North Grove from 1926 - 1931.

She is the daughter of Clarence and Mildred Justice and the sister of Janet, Edgar and Nancy Weston. She is also the widow of Noel Fuller with whom she married aged 18 years old and had ten children with.

Childhood
Born as the third child to Clarence and Mildred Justice in the front, living room, she was a heavy baby and due to her unusual weight, nearly killed her mother during childbirth.

Growing up in the household, it soon became clear that the family were worse off once the depression hit. Her mother had married down in order to marry Clarence and so was cut off from her family's wealth. Tragedy struck further also when her eldest sister, Janet, who helped bring income into the household, was tragically shot and killed while trespassing through a field in 1931.

The family's finances only got worse and by the end of the year, her parents realised that they couldn't afford to look after all of their children and so shipped Debra off to live her Aunt Rosemary and Uncle Jack on a farm in rural Yorkshire.

Early Life on the Farm
Growing up on the farm, Debra had it tough. Although her Aunt was kind to her, her Uncle was a mean, cruel man who was constantly hit her and when she turned thirteen, began to make passes at her, which she rebuffed most of the time and also led to more beatings.

She missed home terribly and wrote back to her younger sister Nancy lying about her experiences, instead making life on the farm sound rosy and nice.

In November 1940, her Uncle went to visit friends in Coventry. Her Aunt Rosemary was also supposed to join him but Debra fell ill and so Rosemary was kept back to look after her niece. On the 17th November 1940, a telegram was sent to the farm informing them of Jack's demise.

Rosemary was heartbroken and never married again, instead dedicating her life to the farm.

Engagement and Marriage
Growing up on the farm, apart from herself and her Aunt and Uncle, there was one farmhand who lived in the stables named Noel Fuller. He was twelve years her senior, but through isolation the two found a close bond.

In 1939, after war was declared on Nazi Germany, Noel signed up. He fought in France until June 1940 and from there he served in northern Africa. A correspondence of letters ensued and her letters from Noel were the only thing that kept her there during the height of her Uncle's abuse.

In August 1942, he was sent home after some shrapnel pierced his right arm, tearing through a muscle. Back at the farm for four months while he recovered, the two started a relationship.

Her Aunt was ecstatic for her and so were her parents with whom she told when they visited for Christmas that year. Rosemary had always intended to give the farm away to Noel as they had raised him since he was a young boy and now the farm had a chance to stay within the family.

While Noel was away, it was up to Rosemary and Debra to pull together on the farm. The two women kept it going, keeping all of the livestock and the crops alive and fresh throughout the war. It gave Debra a new sense of feeling and with her horrid Uncle out of the picture, her future became something she now envisioned.

As the summer of 1943 ended, Debra received a letter from Noel with a proposal of marriage. In the letter he wrote how much he loved Debra and how he feared that if he didn't marry her soon, he would die with a heart full of regret.

As his leave was granted in March 1944, Debra had by that point, turned eighteen years old. Going back to North Grove for three weeks, she showed him around the town and introduced him to her parents and siblings. Edgar took a liking to him but Nancy did not. This caused a rift to build between the sister's that would accumulate to a huge falling out at their father's funeral in 1962.

Towards the end of her three weeks, Debra married Noel Fuller on the 17th April 1944.

Children
With Noel being sent back to the front to fight, the marriage did not produce any children until 1947. Noel was scarred by what he had seen during his time as a foot soldier and it changed him. He threw himself into his work on his return and barely gave Debra a thought.

When he realised how much he was hurting her by turning into himself, the two began to work through their problems together. Their marriage in total produced ten children in twelve years:
 * 1) Gloria Fuller (b. 19th July 1947)
 * 2) Patrick Fuller (b. 25th May 1949 - d. 10th Nov. 1986)
 * 3) Gail Fuller (b. 16th Sept 1950)
 * 4) Irving Fuller (b. 10th Feb 1952)
 * 5) Edwin Fuller (b. 27th Mar 1953 - d. 23rd Sept 1974)
 * 6) Henrietta Fuller (b. 1st Aug 1955)
 * 7) Malcolm Fuller (b. 17th Oct 1956)
 * 8) Gilbert Fuller (b. 16th Aug 1957)
 * 9) Desmond Fuller (b. 27th Feb 1959)
 * 10) Lorna Fuller (b. 30th Dec 1959)

The farm had an extension built onto it to accommodate all of the children but Rosemary loved the atmosphere. Although being pregnant was more of an annoyance to Debra, she did enjoy the children. The farm grew more than enough crops to feed them all and with help from the children as they grew older, the farm was able to expand and create more profits.

As they grew older and started to move out and become married themselves, Debra and Noel enjoyed the family they had created.

In 1974 however, tragedy struck when Debra discovered her son Edwin in the fields dead. He had shot himself with a pistol through the head, killing his instantly. The image crippled Debra as she had no idea that he had been suffering. In his suicide note, he explained that he had been grappling with his sexuality. He found he was attracted to men and not women and didn't want to shame the family.

Debra couldn't cope. It was the first time when she wished that she had never had so many children. She felt like she didn't give enough time to each child and that was why he had killed himself. The guilt has never left her. His death also helped her son Malcolm come out to his parents a few years later.

In 1978, she was left consoling daughter Henrietta after her husband and father to their three children was killed in car accident, which also left oldest son Joel deaf in one ear and partially deaf in another.

Her family was dealt with another blow when her first son, Patrick was killed in an industrial accident in 1986 leaving behind two children.

Older Years
As Debra and Noel continued to toil on the farm, her family expanded to include nineteen grandchildren. Most of her children stayed close in Yorkshire but her daughter Gail moved to the USA in 1980 to pursue an acting career after she had landed small bit parts in British TV shows.

There was only three occasions that she left the farm for, her two nephew's funerals and to visit her daughter in New York in 2002 for three months.

Her son Gilbert inherited the farm, being the only child to have any real interest, while she and Noel babysat during their quiet time.

In 1998, Noel Fuller passed away by his wife's side from old age after he was bed bound after breaking his hipbone. He was 84 years old. After the funeral, Debra did consider either moving back to North Grove or to live with her daughter in the States but felt like she was abandoning her husband's spirit by doing so and instead chose to remain.

Family
Mother: Mildred Justice

Father: Clarence Justice

Siblings: Janet Justice, Edgar Justice and Nancy Weston

Husband: Noel Fuller

Children: Gloria, Patrick, Gail, Irving, Edwin, Henrietta, Malcolm, Gilbert, Desmond and Lorna

Son-in-Laws: Lawrence Snape, Lloyd Jackson, Miles Shaw, Martin Cooke and Eddie Ryder

Daughter-In-Laws: Bonnie Haverford, April Fuller, Lynn Fuller and Sheila Fuller

Grandchildren: Marilyn Tyson, Jenna Tyson, Robin Fuller, Travis Fuller, Shawn Jackson, Marlene Jackson, Heather Fuller, Joel Pilkington, Robbie Pilkington, Leo Pilkington, Gina Shaw, Eleanor Shaw, Beatrice Shaw, Jonah Shaw, Audrey Fuller, Marlon Fuller, Tristan Ryder, Madison Ryder and Elena Ryder

Niece: Carole Justice

Nephews: William Weston and Harold Weston

Uncles: Jack Guinness and Earl Jones

Aunts: Rosemary Guinness and Priscilla Jones

Cousin: Walter Jones