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. Richard died peacefully in his sleep with family at his side at Highland Hospital in Rochester NY on January 25. He was born in
Hartford CT in 1938 to Harold and Julia Fenton, and grew up in Bloomfield CT. 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. Richard and Joan both attended the University of Connecticut, where he graduated magna cum laude with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in economics, was a member of Chi Phi fraternity, and participated in the ROTC program. He is a proud veteran, having gone on to serve in US Army intelligence from 1966 to 1968, attaining the rank of captain.
Following his military service, Richard joined the Business Administration and Economics faculty at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport, while completing his PhD in economics at SUNY Buffalo. 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 3-1-3 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. His strong focus on teaching excellence earned him the Chancellor’s Award for Teaching in 1989. He served many years on the college’s Foundation Board, and in recent years with the Friends of Drake Library.
Richard was also a dedicated public servant, elected to the Sweden Town Board, and as a founding member of the Building Excellence in Students Today (BEST) foundation, committed to fund-raising in support of Brockport Public Schools. 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! Bike! Brockport. Richard also always maintained his interest in woodworking and has helped with many memorable furniture and carpentry projects in his son’s homes and in the homes of friends and neighbors.
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.
A memorial mass will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton church in Hamlin NY at 11:00 am on Saturday, February 1. A reception will follow at the church. A celebration of Richard’s life will be scheduled at a later time. In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged in honor and support of Richard’s commitment to accessible higher education for all, and may be made to the Fenton Scholarship endowment at SUNY Brockport. Checks can be made out to the “Brockport Foundation,” SUNY Brockport, 350 New Campus Drive, Brockport NY 14420, with “Fenton Scholarship” in the memo.
