Richard Fuelling

Richard Ernest Fuelling passed away on Thursday, July 30, 2026. He was born on June 3, 1929, in Wayne, Michigan to the late Ernest and Minnie Fuelling.

Dick attended Wayne High School where he played football and baseball and was elected to the Sports Hall of Fame. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 17 in June of 1946, training at Paris Island, South Carolina and Quantico, Virginia. After his discharge, Dick attended Wayne State University, where he met the love of his life Dorothy Scott, in Art History class. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration and two babies, while continuing to play football and baseball. Dick and Dorothy were married in 1949, and by 1952 had their third child. Dick became an estimator for a steel and iron company, retiring in 1979. He remained actively employed in sales for 23 years, which suited his outgoing personality, while they lived at Mullett Lake in Cheboygan, Michigan. Dick and Dorothy moved to the Fairfield Glade, Tennessee golf community in 1995, then to StoryPoint in Portage, Michigan in 2017 for the remainder of their lives.

Dick is survived by daughters Connie Speers and Terry (Scott) McNabb, and son Richard (Theresa) Fuelling; grandchildren Andrea (Michael) Groom, Kirk (Abby) McNabb, Kimberly (Jason) Babcock, Darren (Olivia) McNabb, Anna (Darian) Rogers, Travis Fuelling, Katie (Brandon) Jaworowski, and Bonnie Fuelling; and 9 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Dorothy, siblings Melvin, Gerald, Geraldine and Lyn, and beloved son-in-law, Thomas.

Dick was a natural athlete. After competing at the collegiate level, he continued playing golf and tennis into his 80s. He was an excellent card player and played his last game of weekly bridge six days before his death. Dick could tell a joke like no one else and made friends wherever he went. He was a product of the Great Depression, which molded him into a man of high moral ethics, humility and integrity. Like many men of his generation, Dick embodied selflessness and the desire to care for his family and was the primary care giver for Dorothy for the last year of her life.

The family is very grateful for the loving care Dick and Dorothy received at StoryPoint, Portage for the final 10 years of their lives.

The family has arranged for a cremation, and a memorial service at Portage United Church of Christ, 2731 West Milham Ave, Portage, will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 6, 2026, with visitation beginning at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be designated to Portage United Church of Christ.

Please visit Dick's memorial webpage to share condolences and memories with his family at https://www.Langelands.com