Jill Fuller

Garrison

Jill Fuller, 69, of Garrison, passed away July 2, 2023, at her home.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 6, 2023, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Garrison, ND. Family will be greeting guests one hour prior to the funeral service.

Jill was born on April 16, 1954, in Minot, ND to Murry and Alice M. (Joyce) Warner.

Jill attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts. She then attended Minot State University, Minot, ND, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, she continued her education by receiving her master’s in nursing at Bringham Young University, in Provo, UT. Followed by receiving her PhD in Nursing from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. While attending school Jill was a graduate teaching assistant and graduate research assistant during graduate school.

Over the years Jill has served the nursing community in many different aspects from being a nurse, hospital administrator, to even a professor, sharing her wealth of knowledge. Jill began her nursing career as an ICU staff nurse in hospitals in Minot, ND, Provo, UT, and in Salt Lake City, UT. During her time as a nurse she also was an instructor at the College of Nursing at Minot State University, along with being an assistant professor. In 1991, Jill took the step of becoming the Chief Operating Officer of Unimed Medical Center in Minot, where she held the position until 1999. In 1999, she began working at Community Memorial Hospital in Winona, MN where she coordinated a turnaround to prepare for a survey that received a poor rating prior to her arrival, with her success she was actively recruited for a position in Watertown, SD. She began working in Watertown in 2000 for Prairie Lakes Healthcare System, where she worked until 2018. As vice president of patient care Prairie Lakes Hospital was chosen to participate in a national study of 13 hospitals to improve patient care. All the hospitals were chosen based on their accomplishments, innovations and leadership. In 2009, she gained the position of Chief Executive Officer, a position she held until 2018. From 2002-2012 Jill worked at South Dakota State University in their Graduate Nursing Program, where she was responsible for two courses in the graduate nursing curriculum, and later helped develop a course. Jill co-authored a nursing textbook titled “Health Assessment: A Nursing Approach. Published in three editions by JB Lippincott. Jill participated in the Robert Wood Johnson Fellowship (2002-2005) which was a national advanced leadership program for nurses in senior executive roles. The RWJ members aspired to help lead the US health care system of the future. Jill felt this honor was instrumental in launching her career onto a national platform.

Jill received several awards over the years, including 2013 Business Woman of the Year — Watertown SD Area Chamber of Commerce, 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award University of Utah, College of Nursing, 2008 Golden Award — Minot State University distinguished alumni recognition, 2004 Organizational Innovation Award — winner AONE Institute for Patient Care Research and Education.

Jill loved being on Lake Sakakawea. It started as a young girl with her dad Murry on his homemade houseboats, and all the family would join in on the adventure. Jill was a gourmet cook, and always calling the savory dish “basic.” She loved flowers and plants which always enhanced the summer yard setting. She was a master gardener growing wonderful tomatoes. She loved painting old pieces of furniture, was a great interior designer, master Christmas tree decorator, a hockey mom, and a loving mother giving her two sons words of wisdom. Her colleagues often said that “if you want it done and done right, let Jill do it.

Jill is survived by her husband, Doug Fuller; sons, Max (Sarah) Fuller, Jase Fuller; grandchildren, Margaret Mary Fuller, John Murry Fuller; siblings, Mark (Lena) Warner, Joyce (Joe) Alme, Ann Krause.

Jill is preceded in death by her parents, Murry and Alice Mae Warner; brother-in-law, Skip Krause.

Memorials can be made in Jill’s memory to Camp of the Cross.

Funeral Arrangements are being made by Thompson Funeral Home, Garrison, ND.

Published by The Minot Daily News, July 6, 2023.