Sarah Fulton Ginn

Sarah Fulton Ginn was born on December 7, 1930, in Lincoln, Nebraska.  She was a ray of hope during the dark days of the Depression. On her 11th birthday, the attack on Pearl Harbor made this a date that would be remembered around the world. Her parents were C. Robert Fulton and Corinne White Fulton. Sarah was the youngest of four children. Sarah loved spending time with her much older siblings (15, 13 and nine years older) and had fond memories of riding in her brother Jimmy’s convertible. Her father Robert was a civil engineer in Lincoln and served on the Airport Authority and on the City Council. He was one of the engineers who worked on the construction of Memorial Stadium 100 years ago. 

Sarah was a strong child, surviving polio during her childhood and spending time in an iron lung before going on to make a full recovery. Sarah attended school in Lincoln at Prescott Elementary School and Irving Middle School before graduating from Lincoln High School where she developed close friendships with a group that continued to have reunions until well into their 80’s. Sarah went on to attend the University of Nebraska at Lincoln where she joined Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and graduated as a member of the UNL Chapter of the Mortar Board Honorary Society with a major in Primary Education and a minor in Spanish. Before marrying Bill Ginn of Omaha in 1954, she worked as a stewardess for TWA and an elementary teacher in the Lincoln Public Schools.

Sarah felt fortunate to have been born in Lincoln, Nebraska. “I like the Midwest and its work ethic. Nebraska is just independent enough. People here are genuine and hard-working; able to have true friendships which were very meaningful to me and opportunities to give to the community.” She loved her community and served as president of many nonprofit organizations, striving to do “outstanding projects each year.” Some of those organizations included the Junior League of Omaha and then the Midwest region, the Clarkson Service League, Fontenelle Forest, Henry Doorly Zoo and the Colonial Dames.

Sarah loved spending time in her garden creating beauty in nature. Her garden was on the Munroe-Meyer Garden Walk in 1987. She was very creative and enjoyed sewing and needlepoint. For a costume ball at Joslyn Art Museum, she created a replica of a dress from the painting, Young Girls at the Piano (1889) by Renoir.

Sarah was adventurous, traveling around the world with her husband. She once enjoyed a spontaneous dinner with a family in the Himalayas when the family spotted her walking down the lane on her own, having left Bill at the hotel. Every summer she would trek across the country by car with her children in tow to visit her parents in Laguna Beach, California.  Every year, she drove a different route to ensure her children saw the varied points of interest in the Western United States. 

Sarah loved entertaining in her home. Bill, who played the trumpet and cornet, inspired her to host jazz sessions with musician friends. She loved playing bridge with her friends and kept up a weekly game until 2020. Above all, Sarah was a Fulton woman. She had a pioneer spirit; she was brave and fearless with a “can-do and do-it-right” attitude. She was a woman of indomitable spirit and determination.

Sarah and Bill had four children: Mary Robyn (1956), Robert William (1957), Michael Ryan (1963) and Steven Fulton (1966). Bob was injured in a water-skiing accident in 1980 and lived as a quadriplegic for 32 years until his death in 2012. Michael died of pancreatic cancer in 2015. Her husband, Bill, to whom she was married for 61 years, died in 2016 at the age of 92. Sarah is survived by daughter Robyn (David) Hubbard and son Steven (Debra) Ginn; grandchildren James (Claire) Hubbard, Alexandra (Joseph Thiem) Hubbard, Kiera Ginn, Caitlin Ginn and Conor Ginn; great- granddaughter Mira Beatrice Hubbard, daughter-in-law Anne Ginn (Pat Neary), nieces Patsy (Jerry) Benjamin and Antonella Fulton and nephews Bob (Carol) Yetter and Jan Frantz. Memorials may be made to Lauritzen Gardens or the charity of your choice.

Sarah's service will be webcast at:

https://heartstreaming.link/sarah-fulton-ginn