Final Salute

Ernest Robert Fenton passed away on July 25, 2023 at the VA Hospital in Richmond, Virginia. He had recently been diagnosed with portal vein thrombosis and suffered complications from an arterial bleed. Ultimately his heart stopped. He would want to thank the many doctors and nurses who tended to him throughout his long and arduous journey these last twenty years, especially the folks in the Spinal Cord Clinic of the Richmond VA Medical Center.

Ernie was born in Newark, NJ on June 24, 1946, the second son, (by two minutes) to Florence (Pearson) Fenton and James Fenton. He is survived by his devoted wife Nancy (Porcino) Fenton, his four children, Timothy Fenton and wife Whitney Fenton, Kathryn (Fenton) Nowlan and husband Andrew Nowlan, Lindsay Fenton, and Christine Fenton. Ernie was a proud Grandpa to Samantha Fenton, Henry Fenton, and Robin Nowlan. His fraternal twin brother, John Fenton and wife Sheila Fenton, niece and nephew, Melissa and Nicholas Fenton, and sister Karen Branch and niece Elizabeth Branch also grieve the loss of Ernie.

To those of us who knew him, Ernie was as strong of character as any man could be. His devotion to country started as a youngster and only grew stronger. He was president of his high school class all four years and after graduating as a mechanical engineer from Clarkson College in Potsdam, NY, he insisted on joining the military even though he had many draft deferred job offers. He attended Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI and then was sent to various specialty training courses including underwater demolition and SERE training before it got that name. While deployed to Vietnam in 1969, he was the officer in charge of a 13-man Seabee team unofficially dubbed the “dirty dozen”. He ultimately earned a Bronze Star with Valor for his leadership and courage. His second assignment would take him to the newly opened Palmer Research Station in Antarctica. His ability to keep the scientists and team in good spirits is again reflective of his Can Do attitude. There is a Fenton Glacier so named for his remarkable and daring scheme to rescue a British scientist in medical distress and get him to safety. To his many Navy buddies, your shipmate is at ease.

Resuming his stateside life, Ernie began his job at Proctor and Gamble in Mehoopany, PA. With a bachelor pad on the Susquehanna River he could not have guessed how Mother Nature would change the course of his life. Hurricane Agnes tore through the area, leaving him with nothing but his canoe and his jeep. A few of his pals who had returned to graduate school in Boston offered him refuge and before he knew it, Hewlett Packard had recruited him along with the Boston rugby team. A chance meeting on the pitch with Nancy in April 1973 would culminate in marriage in October of the same year. Their 50th anniversary would have been this year. He was her prince charming and her parents, Tony and Marge Porcino, were an integral part of the new couple’s life.

That Seabee spirit lived on with a fixer-upper home in Ipswich, MA, a new job with Raychem, a brief move to Hudson, NH, and finally to their family home of 26 years in Topsfield, MA. Always the adventurer, Ernie convinced Nancy and three-month-old son, Timmy, to venture with him to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a special assignment. Returning home with baby number two in tow, Ernie was able to realize one of his life goals and start his own consulting company. The following years were filled with more career moves and two more children. One of the family’s favorite period in time was owning a cottage on Lake Winnipesaukee in NH. Who knew Ernie could be such an avid jet ski and snowmobile enthusiast.

As time went on and the children started to leave home, Ernie and Nancy moved to Florida, first to the Panhandle in 2003, and then to the Space Coast in 2007. It was then that Ernie’s health issues would become evident. For 39 years a near lethal injury had been lurking inside his spine. A mortar attack back in Vietnam had in fact left its mark. After two surgeries, the result was a debilitating lack of mobility and ultimately, the loss of both legs. But here again, Ernie rose to the challenge and met each day with a “good morning” and a goal to be 100 years old. Luckily he was able to meet his three grandchildren and was provided with devoted home care from his wife and youngest daughter, Christine.

Ernie was a stoic, intelligent, charismatic man who commanded the room. He was decisive and strong and always made you feel safe. His propensity to embellish a story will be remembered with a laugh as will his Ernie jokes.

Fair winds and following seas to a devoted father, grandfather, shipmate, friend, and husband. May his legacy live on through us all.

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