April 1, 1930 – Feb. 8, 2011

Dorothy B. Fuller, a lifelong resident of Waukesha, passed away peacefully Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011, at age 80 surrounded by her family.

Dorothy was born April 1, 1930, the daughter of William and Adelia Kopshinsky. She was a member of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Dorothy Kopshinsky was hired by the Waukesha State Bank as a fresh Waukesha High School graduate in 1948. Her first job was filing checks alphabetically. She hated it because it was boring and she was all alone in the back room except when other employees passed through to use the restroom. Her mother told her to stay with it and Dorothy obeyed her mother. She soon grew to love her work, becoming an integral part of the bank’s dozen full-time employees. Her lightning-fast fingers and legendary accuracy made her the most proficient bookkeeper and proofmachine operator during the bank’s first half-century. She was head bookkeeper in 1969 when she was selected as the personal secretary to the new president, Don Taylor. She became the bank’s corporate secretary, as well, assuming control of the bank’s executive office. She was elected assistant cashier in 1970, becoming the second female officer in the bank’s history. Within a few years, she was elected a vice president and became the bank’s cashier.

"As a vital part of the bank’s management team for a quarter-century," said Don Taylor, "she contributed greatly to its success as it became the dominant bank in the Waukesha community."

With the advent of personal computers, Dorothy’s secretarial duties diminished as Don began writing his own documents and letters. Dorothy remained the head of the executive office even as she assumed the duties of preparing paperwork for home mortgages. Dorothy retired from the bank in 1994 after nearly a half-century of helping the Waukesha State Bank serve the financial needs of the community.

Dorothy will be sadly missed by her husband of 57 years, Kenneth, whom she married July 25, 1953; her son, William Fuller; daughter, Judith Fuller; grandsons, Daniel C. Whiting, Kenneth A. Fuller and Kyle A. Fuller, all of Waukesha; brothers, Charles (Shirley), Oscar (Elvira) and Theodore (Judy); sister-in-law, Connie; and nieces and nephews, other relatives and many friends.

She was preceded in death by her beloved son, Robert; parents, William and Adelia; brothers, William "Boiyce" and Paul; and her nephew, Robert Kopshinsky.

Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11, at Cesarz, Charapata & Zinnecker Funeral Home, 237 N. Moreland Blvd., Waukesha. Visitation continues from 10:30 a.m. until the noon funeral service Saturday, Feb. 12, at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1052 Whiterock Ave., Waukesha. The Rev. Scott Oelhafen will be officiating. Burial will immediately follow at Prairie Home Cemetery in Waukesha.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are appreciated to the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County, 701 Northview Road, Waukesha, WI 53188.

Cesarz, Charapata & Zinnecker Funeral Home, Cremation and Pre-Planning Services is serving the family. For the online obituary or cards of condolence, please visit www.WaukeshasFuneralHome.com, or call the funeral home at 542-6609.