Robert G. Fulk, 92, of Hoschton, GA, died January 26, 2025 in his home.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 8, 2025, in Seitz Funeral Home, Moweaqua, IL.  A visitation will begin one hour prior to service time.  Burial will be in Westside Cemetery, Moweaqua, IL.

Robert was born on October 3, 1932 in Decatur, IL, the son of Verne W. and Mildred M. (Harper) Fulk.  He married Janet L. Smith on August 12, 1962 in Warrensburg, IL.  She survives.

Robert was a member of Hamilton Mill United Methodist Church, Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association, National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Eastern Illinois University Alumni Association, and Eastern Illinois University Football Hall of Fame.  He additionally served as Grand Marshall for Illinois State Wrestling and as a Member of Board of Commissioners for the Carol Stream Fire Department.

At Eastern Illinois University, he lettered 7 times in football and wrestling, won All-Conference honors as a lineman, and qualified in the heavy weight division for the 1961 NAIA national wrestling tournament. After university, while working full-time as a high school teacher and coach, he played in the position of Tackle on the Joliet Explorers semi-pro football team, which was the farm club affiliated with the San Diego Chargers. The team record in 1965 was 8-1-1.

He was a successful high school wrestling and football coach at Urbana, Kankakee, Proviso West, and Glenbard North High Schools. As head wrestling coach from 1969 to 1987 at Glenbard North, he started a team from scratch, having barely enough participation to put a team together in the first year. From that starting point, he had winning dual meet seasons for 18 of 19 years. He produced 39 state tournament qualifiers with 20 place winners, including two champions. His all-time dual meet record at Glenbard North was 288-86-5. He is in the top 3 teams to have the longest winning streak with a total of 72 straight wins. He originated the "Secret Society of the Gold Dot," which has been continued not only at Glenbard North for the last 35 years, but also in other versions where his wrestlers have gone on to coach teams all around the country. When he left this world, one could still find gold dots on his wallet, his office decor, his shirts and his hats. He was inducted into the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Hall of Fame in 1985 and given the National High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award in 1988. In 2010, he was bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He was named Carol Stream, IL Citizen of the Year in 1978, for his contributions to the high school and the community.

In addition to the guidance and coaching of his teams, he and his wife Janet raised three children, always active in their interests and supporting their activities. He instilled in his children the importance of family, education, integrity, hard work and leadership. After retirement, he and Janet spent time golfing, boating, gardening, and traveling with friends. He loved having fun with his five grandsons, always encouraging them and letting them know how proud he was of their accomplishments. In the conclusion of his autobiography, written for family just last year, he wrote, "I've had a lot of great and not-so-great experiences in my life and nobody can say I didn't have a long enough life. I love my wife, my children, my grandchildren and great grandchildren."

Surviving is his wife, Janet; son, R. Todd (Regina) Fulk, of Nicholson, GA; daughter, Wendy F. (Alan) MacMurray, of Ocala, FL; five grandsons; four great-grandchildren: and brother, Richard Fulk, of Bartlett, IL.

Preceding him in death are his parents, son Perry Ray Fulk, and brother Leroy Fulk.