Let the family know you are thinking of them. Give to a forest in need in their memory. The Fenton family lost a beloved patriarch, and role model for a life devoted to the service of others, in the passing of Richard J. Fenton, 86, of Brockport NY. He was born in. There in high school he met the love of his life and partner in devotion to family and community, his future wife Joan.
He was an accomplished high school basketball player and developed carpentry skills working for his father, a home builder. He is a proud veteran, having gone on to serve in US Army intelligence from to , attaining the rank of captain.
At Brockport he championed undergraduate education and was integral to the development of innovative programs such as the cross-disciplinary Delta College and the accelerated program.
He became a respected and admired member of the school, taking many interim administrative and committee leadership roles when called on by university leadership. He was an always recognizable figure routinely bicycling to the campus in summer and walking in even the most frigid blizzard in a distinctive snorkel parka in winter. Not surprisingly, with Joan he was a founding member of the advocacy group Walk!
Richard is preceded in death by his parents Julia and Harold, and brother William. He is survived by brothers Steven and Thomas, and sister Katherine. He is cherished and will live on through the energy and devotion of his beloved wife of 64 years Joan; son Mark Lisa , and grandchildren Maxwell and Skye; and son Robert Suzette , and grandchildren Carson Marti and Parker; and by many loving nieces and nephews.
