When friends would see the light on in Sister Fuller's sewing room - which it almost always was - at the little house next to the LDS ward building on State Street in Eagle, they knew they could stop by and chat.

"We had a lot of people at the house," said Phil Spencer, one of Erma Cheney Spencer Fuller's children.

"She became ... noted as a seamstress and for making or altering wedding dresses," Phil said.

But her sewing room also was her counseling room.

"Whether they left laughing or crying, their burdens would always be lifted," said Fuller's daughter Denise Spencer.

"She listened well and counseled well...the glass was never half empty, always at least half full," Phil said.

As the ward's Relief Society president, she met frequently with church members, providing counsel or just a sounding board.

"Her willingness to help others is probably for what she will be remembered by most people," Phil said. "She learned how to influence people. And I remember being amazed at how she would look at people and figure out a way to work with them."

The family lived for many years in Emmett, but when her husband, Frank Spencer, died in 1959, the burden of providing for a family became difficult.

Erma and her youngest child Denise moved to Eagle in 1965 when she married Ted Fuller. By then all of her older children were married and living elsewhere.

Life in Eagle brought new definition to her life, according to Phil.

"They (the Fullers) were the paid custodians of the LDS chapel in Eagle and the yards at the church were immaculately maintained," he said.

In their capacity in the church, they also built the ball field behind the church.

Though the lot was just dirt and weeds, the couple soon created Fuller Park on the property owned by the church.

"She was an example of accomplishing things," Phil said. "They took a raw piece of ground and planted the grass, turned it into something for everyone to enjoy."

Her desire for accomplishing things carried into her civic activities as well. After she began work with the Dry Creek Ditch Company - a job she held for 20 years - she became active in drawing attention to the need for a sewer system in Eagle.

"She was a big part of raising the awareness for a sewer system," Denise said. "Back then, everybody had septic tanks. It's nothing like it is today."

Sister Fuller also continued sewing, supplementing the family income with her skill as a seamstress by making custom clothes and wedding dresses.

"She did a lot of wedding dresses for brides," Denise said. "They would show her what they wanted and she'd make her own pattern. She did a lot work just from memory with no pattern at all."

Another one of her joys was fishing, and Phil said she accompanied him numerous times on fishing trips to the ocean.

When Ted died in 1991, Sister Fuller continued her church service as a missionary for the LDS Church in the Washington, D.C. Temple. She later served another temple mission in the Atlanta, Ga., Temple before moving back to Emmett.

Her family said Sister Fuller spent her final years living at Emmett Serenity Living and doing what she could to make others feel as positive as possible.

David Kennard: 377-6436

In Remembrance is a weekly profile on a Treasure Valley resident who has recently passed away. To recommend a friend or loved one for an In Remembrance, e-mail dkennard@idahostatesman.com.