Derrell O. Fuller was born February 14, 1922. Both his parents taught school at Ramhurst in the 1940s. His father's name was George but his mother's name was not found when the search first began.

When originally discovered, the following information did not appear to relate to the dead soldier from Murray County, there was too much that suggested that it might, for it to be ignored. Derrell O. Fuller qualifies as an unusual name, so it seems highly unlikely that two men with that exact name died in World War II.

The only enlistment form found for the name Derrell O. Fuller describes a man born in Oklahoma who entered the military from Oklahoma. He was 66 inches tall and weighed 154 pounds. He had completed grammar school and worked in general farming. The 1930 Census for Caddo County, Oklahoma, lists a family headed by George A. Fuller, age 46, who had been born in Texas, and his wife, Adie M. Fuller, age 38, who had been born in Georgia. They had 9 children listed.

There is a Caddo County monument listing the names of local sons who died in World War II, and one of those names is Derrell O. Fuller, same as the man from Murray County, Georgia.

Military records indicate that Derrell O. Fuller was killed April 17, 1945, but give no details of his death. Those records also indicate that Private First Class Derrell O. Fuller, service number 38275424, was buried in Saint Avold Cemetery, Saint Avold, France (Grave number B-24-32).

In Chatsworth Heights Cemetery, a double grave-marker honors Derrell O. Fuller, Feb. 14, 1922 - April 17, 1945, and Lena E. Fuller, 1924 - 1983. An adjacent grave lists: Derrell Oran Fuller, US Navy, 1944-1995.

The brief article published in The Chatsworth Times, March 10, 1945, provides confirmation that the Caddo County, Oklahoma man and the Murray County, Georgia man were the same individual. "The Rev. And Mrs. George Fuller, of Ramhurst, who had five sons in the armed service, have been notified that one of their sons, Pfc. Derrell O. Fuller, died of sounds received in Germany on April 17. Pvt. Fuller has been in the army since 1942, serving overseas with the 61st Armored Infantry Battalion for the past eight months. He was 23 years old, a member of the Hopewell Baptist Church at Doogan, and had been a war worker at Bainbridge, Conn., before enlisting.

Besides his parents, the soldier is survived by one sister, Mrs. Earl Baker, of California, and seven brothers, Pfc. Hoyt L. Fuller, of California; Staff Sgt. Dale D. Fuller, stationed in England; Nathan Fuller, S 2-3, on duty in the Pacific, Weylon Fuller, S 2-c, in training in Illinois; Otis O. Fuller, of Hugo, Okla., Almel N. Fuller, of California; Naaman W. Fuller, of California, and Glen Fuller, of Ramhurst." The names of survivors in this article match the names of the parents and children of the family found in 1930 Census in Caddo, Oklahoma.

 

Murray County Families