John Riley Fulton

John Riley Fulton, 88, of Gatesville, Texas, passed peacefully in the early hours of March 5, 2026.

Born in Goldthwaite, Texas on December 15, 1937 to J.R. Fulton and Gracie Partridge Fulton, John lost his father at the age of eight. He was blessed with a devoted stepfather, H.A. “Red” Mathis, and grew up in Goldthwaite, Lampasas, and Gatesville, where he played football and worked cattle alongside Red. He was twice voted “Most Valuable Back” and earned selection to the Super Centex Team.

John graduated from Gatesville High School in 1956. He played football at TCU, where he joined Sigma Chi fraternity, and later at Trinity University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in January 1961. On December 23, 1960, he married his longtime friend Catherine Lee Brown. Their marriage spanned 65 years and was blessed with three sons. The family lived primarily in San Antonio for the next thirty years, where John coached football at Longfellow Junior High, Burbank High School, Highlands High School (twice), Madison High School, and briefly in Carrizo Springs and Freeport. He quietly touched the lives of countless young men; years later, former players would tell him that his words had changed their paths.

In 1990, John and Catherine moved to Belton and built a home on the Mathis Farm near Gatesville. They spent twenty cherished years there, watching their grandchildren grow up as their sons settled nearby. They also bought a cabin in Ruidoso, New Mexico, a place that held some of John’s happiest memories. In his later years, as his health declined, his greatest comfort came from his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, especially during family gatherings on holidays.

John is survived by his wife, Catherine; sons John David Fulton, Mark Lynn Fulton, and Scott Austin Fulton; grandchildren Mary Katherine Fulton, Alex (Shelby) Fulton, Sarah (Westin) Isbell, and Chelsea Fulton; great-grandchildren Noah Millsap, Tahra Fulton, Bae Fulton, Norah Fulton, Harper Isbell, and Joshua Fulton; brother- and sister-in-law Bob and Nancy Pratt; nieces Jennifer Welsh Sebesta and Kim Pratt Lawrance; nephew Jeff Pratt; special cousins Wynona Barnett Winters and Barbara Chandler; and dear friends Curtis Logan and Wade Sadler. He was preceded in death by his parents J.R. and Gracie Partridge Fulton, stepfather H.A. Mathis, father- and mother-in-law Dr. John and Francis Brown, and sister-in-law Mabel Ann Brown Welsh.