Raymond Edward Fulmer, a gentle giant of a man whose bright smile and generosity of spirit brought joy to many lives, died on Thursday, January 28, 2021, from complications of pneumonia and Covid-19. Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, is assisting the family.

Ray was born on November 28, 1939 in Blythewood, South Carolina to the late Reamer O'Dell Fulmer and Katie Hood Fulmer. His family's roots run deep in the area-so deep that he lived just a stone's throw from their namesake road, Fulmer Road. Ray graduated from Blythewood High School, but it was a chance meeting at Sunday School class party that changes his life. It was there that he met Linda Louise Garrison.

Linda and Raymond were married at College Place United Methodist Church in September of 1961, marking the beginning of a love story that would last six decades. They built their own home off Swygert Lane in Blythewood, with Ray working as a roofer while Linda took in clients at a small hair salon attached to the house. But their true achievement was raising two rambunctious boys, Eddie, and Clay Fulmer, into fine young men. Raymond was a loving father and ideal role model, teaching the boys how to swim, ride bikes and play very kind of sport-all with the steady hand and easy warmth that were the hallmarks of everything he did.

Family meant everything to Ray. He worked for years at a business owned by his in-laws, Joe, and Sara Garrison, Allen's Paint and Body Shop, on Main Street in Columbia. He loved watching Carolina football games with Linda and her two sisters, Sara Jo and Mary, and their husbands Harvin and George. When Eddie and Clay married and had children, he became the most devoted grandfather you could imagine. He loved his grandbabies-Joseph, P.J., Josh (Brittney), and Bryan-and was always there to throw a ball, clean up a skinned knee, or wipe away a tear.

Every summer over the Fourth of July, Ray and Linda traveled to Crescent Beach, Florida, to spend a week with the whole extended family. Their condo was always the center of the action, the place where everyone gathered for meals or to talk and play cards. Ray would sit for hours at the table on the patio, talking with whoever stopped by, enjoying a beverage, and watching the kids play on the lawn. Over the years, his family grew to include great-grandkids Tucker, Grace, Hannah, and he absolutely doted on them, as well as on all the nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews that gathered in the warmth of his orbit.

Raymond E. Fulmer is survived by his loving wife, Linda; his son Eddie and daughter-in-law Tammy, Clay, and daughter-in-law Patty; his sister Mattie Branham and brother-in-law Curtis; his four grandchildren; his granddaughter-in-law; and his three great grandchildren. He will also be greatly missed by the congregation of Fair Lawn United Methodist Church, where he was a member for most of his life, and where he will be laid to rest.

The funeral service for Raymond will be held 2 o'clock, Sunday, January 31, 2021, at Fair Lawn United Methodist Church with The Rev. John Williams, III officiating. A viewing will be held prior to the service beginning at 1 o'clock. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Please note that seating is limited due to Covid and masks are required. Social distancing will be enforced to maintain a safe environment for all. A livestream may be viewed by visiting his tribute page at ShivesFuneralHome.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Fair Lawn Methodist Church, 9303 Wilson Blvd., Columbia, SC, 29203.