A Life Well Lived: Stanton Thomas Fuller

Published 14:51 on 8 Aug 2025

Stanton Thomas Fullers life was rich with adventure, achievement, and character. Born in Wallington, Surrey, in 1932, he entered the world already showing signs of the charm and style for which he would be remembered. Even as a child, photographs show him as a dapper young man, though his older sister Joan—who would later become the mother of Philip Cobb—often remarked on his bossiness.

His early years were happy, until the outbreak of war in 1939 disrupted family life. Stantons father, Thomas (Tom), was called up to serve in the Royal Artillery, while his mother, Emma (Em), kept the household running in a part of Surrey just ten miles from central London. The area endured heavy bombing during the Blitz, and Stanton would later recall spending every night in the familys garden air raid shelter.

In 1944 came the terror of the V-1 flying bombs—known as doodlebugs. One landed directly on the Fuller home, destroying it. Miraculously, the family survived in their shelter, but Stanton and Joan were evacuated to Wales for a time. Despite the disruption, Stanton thrived at his grammar school, excelling academically and in sport. He often spoke with pride of his speed on the rugby wing, though good-natured friends teased that his short legs made this claim surprising.

Awarded a scholarship, Stanton sat the Oxbridge examination and chose to study at Cambridge. Before starting, however, he was called up for National Service and served as a cryptographer aboard HMS Widemouth Bay in Rosyth, Scotland. He would later joke that he was the only person on the ship—captain included—who could do the job. His affinity for water, perhaps fitting for a Sagittarian, would remain a thread throughout his life.

In 1953, Stanton began reading English at Cambridge, becoming the first pupil from his grammar school to do so. University life, as he described it, was colourful and stimulating, though he admitted by modern standards it might be considered tame. Graduating with a 2:1 honours degree, he joined a Blackburn company as the first arts graduate on their management trainee scheme. Never one to rest on his laurels, he studied for a Higher National Certificate in engineering during evenings, quickly rising through the company ranks. In 1961 he was sent to Southampton to establish a new factory, later moving to London to work for Arthur Young as a management consultant, taking on assignments across the UK and overseas.

A career-defining chapter began in the mid-1960s when Stanton accepted a six-month contract with Plessey in Liverpool. Six months became three years, then a permanent role on the executive management team. His career flourished with the company through the 1970s, and just a decade after joining, he became Managing Director of factories in South Shields and Sunderland. Later, he returned to Liverpool to lead the transformation of a derelict 64-acre site into the Wavertree Technology Park. The task was so daunting that he was told success would require knowing how to make water flow uphill. True to form, Stanton delivered, and the park was officially opened by Prince Philip—an encounter during which Stanton proudly claimed to have told his best-ever joke.

In 1988, at the age of 55, Stanton retired as Chief Executive. By then, his personal life had already seen a significant chapter with his marriage to Rene in 1967. The couple lived in Parkgate, where Rene ran a boutique and they shared a passion for collecting and restoring antiques. They also enjoyed time at their holiday cottage in Beaumaris, Anglesey. Tragically, Rene died suddenly during a holiday in Italy, a loss Stanton described as one of the darkest periods of his life.

True to his resilient nature, he got on with it, taking on a new challenge in higher education—transforming a struggling polytechnic into the successful Liverpool John Moores University, where he later became Chancellor. He also enjoyed a new lease of life, travelling extensively, particularly to the Caribbean.

In 1998, at a dinner party in Cheshire, Stanton met Margie, who he would later call the love of his life. Their romance was swift: meeting in November, engaged by February after a holiday in India, and married in June 1999. Through Margie, Stanton embraced a ready-made family—Charlie, Katie, and Sarah—and softened into a more relaxed figure, swapping tweed jackets for open-neck shirts.

Over the years, the couple moved several times, always transforming their homes with their personal style. Yet Seaview, on the Isle of Wight, became their true anchor. Stanton had first bought a small flat there in 1988, gradually expanding it into the beautiful home that became the centre of their lives.

Friends and neighbours recall his precision and high standards, his wit, generosity, and sociable nature. He had a particular love of the sea and travelled widely, visiting more than 24 countries across four continents. Holidays often involved sailing, and one memorable evening in the Caribbean saw Stanton and Margie—dressed for dinner—fall fully clothed into the water while trying to board their boat, scattering banknotes into the sea and sparking a frantic, fully dressed rescue mission.

Though he never had children of his own, Stanton was a devoted stepfather and grandfather figure, as well as Great Uncle Bulgaria to the Cobb family. He delighted in the everyday rituals of life—making fresh orange juice each morning, washing the dogs with meticulous care, enjoying an evening whisky with ice and water, and playing bridge with friends.

Stanton Thomas Fuller will be remembered as a man of intelligence, humour, elegance, and determination; a devoted husband; a caring family figure; and, to many, the embodiment of an old-school gentleman. In keeping with his lifelong connection to water, his final resting place will be in Priory Bay, alongside his beloved dogs Alfie and Bear. And, as he would have said with a smile, he will now be free to do what you like.