Reese Peter Fullerton Jr.

Reese P. Fullerton Jr., an attorney, mediator, facilitator, and civic leader whose abundant care and thoughtfulness touched all who knew him, died Thursday, March 25, at El Castillo in Santa Fe, from complications of frontotemporal dementia. He spent his final days celebrating Spring, surrounded by family and friends. He was 73.

Reese was born in Santa Fe in 1947 to Reese P. Fullerton Sr. and Loretta Fullerton. He grew up in Santa Fe attending Saint Francis School from kindergarten to 9th grade, and spending his free time fishing, hunting, and horseback riding in the mountains of northern New Mexico.

After finishing high school in Scottsdale, Arizona, Reese attended undergraduate and law school at Georgetown University. After serving as a JAG Officer, Reese left the Air Force as a Second Lieutenant and then clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Charles Stewart in New York, where he met his beloved wife, Anne Seagrave. After living in Washington, DC for a few years, Reese and Anne returned to Santa Fe to raise their sons, Seth, John, and Adam.

Reese’s professional and personal successes were extensive. His early career included work for the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, managing Senator Jeff Bingaman’s first Senate campaign, directing the New Mexico Prison Riot Study for the NM Attorney General’s office, and serving as guardian ad litem for abused and neglected children. In all his endeavors, Reese found the most joy and pride in bringing people together to solve difficult problems. A life-long collaborator, Reese’s seemingly effortless capacity to help people find common ground was appreciated by all who knew him.

Reese’s innate skills in, and love of, conflict resolution made him a sought-after mediator and facilitator. He helped to resolve conflicts and built lasting connections around the world including Bosnia and Serbia, Beirut, and Ireland. Closer to home, he worked on many natural resource issues in New Mexico and trained and mentored many people including students at the United World College, the New Mexico County College, the Navajo Technical University and many other organizations. Reese’s ambition to help the people of New Mexico led him to run for Governor in 1998. While not successful, the campaign redoubled Reese’s desire to build bridges and support better government and collaborative solutions. He went on to serve as New Mexico Deputy Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources, and Director of the Office of Workforce Development and Training.

In all aspects of his life, Reese was a deeply caring, loving, and thoughtful man. He embraced the world with energy and curiosity. He drew people to him with his wonderful stories and deep interest in learning about everyone he met. Reese continued to love spending time in the New Mexico mountains, and enjoyed summers with countless family and friends on Cliff Island, Maine. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend.

Reese was predeceased by his wife, Anne, and is survived by their three sons, Seth (Olivia Sloan), John (Julia Rudakov) and Adam (Ellen Kincaid) and three grandchildren, Henry, Alexa, and Daisy.

Services for Reese and Anne will be held when it is safe for all who loved them to hug and be close together as they were for more than forty years.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in his memory be made to the Cliff Island Memorial Fund (P.O. Box 34, Cliff Island, ME 04019), the Navajo Technical University (http://www.navajotech.edu/), or the United World College (https://www.uwc-usa.org/).