Annette Fulham Kletter
Boston, MA – On Friday, December 11, 2020, after a long and courageous battle with cancer, Annette succumbed to the effects of the disease at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She was 77.
She was the fifth generation of Annettes extending over three centuries (Annette French Conner 1830-1886, Annette Conner Kane 1857-1943, Annette Kane Healy 1886-1972, and Annette Healy Fulham 1916-2002) and the eldest of ten children of Thomas Anthony Fulham and Annette Marie Healy.
Born during WWII, Annette was raised by her mother and a doting collection of aunts and grandparents until she was 2 ½ and saw her father for the first time when he returned from three years in the European Theater. The reunited family settled in Wellesley, MA, close by her paternal grandparents.
Annette attended primary school at St. Joseph’s Academy and secondary school at the Academy of the Assumption where she was a National Merit Scholar (both schools formerly in Wellesley, now the site of Mass Bay Community College). She attended Newton College of the Sacred Heart, Newton MA, before completing her BA in English in 1964 at Mount St Mary College, Hookset NH, and her MA in Theater Arts in 1968 at the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. She then taught for a period of time at the Boston Conservatory of Music before relocating to New York City.
In 1975, Annette married the love of her life, Lawrence Kletter (1935-2013), the son of Murray Kletter and Fannie Schwartz (both first-generation Polish immigrants). Annette and Larry lived for many years in New York City, where they were both involved in live theater, before settling in Syracuse, NY, where they moved to be close to Larry’s sister, Jeanne Blank, and her family. Annette returned in 2018 to Boston.
Annette loved gardening and watching birds. For years she would cook and host elaborate Christmas celebrations highlighting foods from other lands. Annette was an avid reader and wrote poetry. She loved playing Scrabble and doing the New York Times crossword puzzles in pen. Despite her aversion to athleticism, in 1983, to celebrate her 40th birthday, she and Larry ran and finished the challenging New York City Marathon.
Annette is preceded in death by her husband, Larry, by her parents and by her sisters, Mary Fulham Killion and Lucy Catherine Fulham. She is survived by her sisters, Ellen Fulham Lopez (Gordon) of West Roxbury, MA, Christina J. Fulham and Gretchen M. Fulham of Stoughton, MA, Deborah Wescott Fulham-Winston (Robert) of Carlisle, PA, and by her brothers, Thomas A. Fulham (Marcia) of Alexandria, VA, Nicholas L. Fulham (Rosemary) of Framingham, MA, and Gregory J. Fulham (Patricia) of Chicago, IL.
A memorial gathering will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that you tell someone you love them.