Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity and The Fuller Center for Housing, died early Tuesday morning after a brief illness.
While we will dearly miss our friend, mentor and leader, we rejoice knowing that he and Clarence Jordan have instilled within us the vision of a world in which everyone has a decent place to live.
Linda Fuller, Millard’s wife of 49 years and the co-founder of Habitat and The Fuller Center, said that great strides have been made toward fulfilling Millard’s vision of eliminating poverty housing around the world, but that there is still tremendous work to be done.
“Millard would not want people to mourn his death,” Linda said. “He would be more interested in having people put on a tool belt and build a house for people in need.”
Former President Jimmy Carter issued a statement in which he called Fuller “one of the most extraordinary people I have ever known.
“He used his remarkable gifts as an entrepreneur for the benefit of millions of needy people around the world by providing them with decent housing,” Carter said in the statement. “As the founder of Habitat for Humanity and later the Fuller Center, he was an inspiration to me, other members of our family and an untold number of volunteers who worked side-by-side under his leadership.”