Charles Alfred Fenton's Obituary
To my husband Chuck Fenton:
My heart is wrought with the deepest sorrow and bewilderment, but I will show only joy today, Sunday, 01/30/22. This is the celebration of your life, well-lived, with strength, courage, and honor.
I am remembering your baritone voice, your laughter, and your giggles down the hall, your lemon aide kisses at bed time. You wanted to sing karaoke, and would hum Christmas songs (or any other song for that matter) anywhere or any time. I knew you were content and in your happy place when humming. You would share your big, easy smile with everyone, INCLUDING strangers.
There were always Chuck-isms to share.
Like, “the best offense is a good defense.”
“I collect, therefore, I am.”
“Nothing in/nothing out.” “I have a fine arts degree; let me decorate.”
“I went to public school, give me a break.”
“You fly, and I buy.”
“A bad day fishing, beats a good day working, no matter what you catch”
“Every action causes a reaction.”
“Better to beat you in a game, or some other competition (how's your basketball, football, baseball, poker, chess) than to debate our differences.”
If Chuck wasn’t competing in sports or watching sports, he coached sports — behind the dugout AND in the game.
Oh, yah, the nicknames: Wiggly Butt, Jumping Bean, Crispy, Twinkle Toes, the Rock, Peekers, Noyer the Noid, Roy the Boy and Conan the barbarian.
Chuck, you would always say there are two angels, one good and one bad, on each shoulder. Family and friends would attest to that. WE had our ups and downs like any other couple, but you always had my back. Chuck remained true to his convictions and ideals. Chuck loved to talk and share his wisdom and insight with others. Very few people could talk more than Chuck. Seriously.
Chuck, you would express your joy for life at every turn: family at Fentons, family at Pools, your Mission Hills family, your Long Beach Beach cruiser family, your desert family, Navy Amphibious Base family, your swapmeet family, Holiday Bowl family, and some other families, too. Chuck was always destination driven, looking for “the perfect spot.” The rest of us just rode with him, on his wave of energy, just along for the journey.
Chuck, you lived your life without fear. Whether it was diamond level skie runs, jumping the dunes in the desert on your quad, cliff jumping in La Jolla, and dune bugy racing. Life is a gift and a treasure, and you did not squander it. Your amazing strength was always with you. You never said “ why me, and you never said you feared death.”
Build it, and they will come, you believed that, and some did, too. “Help me build my deck/by hand/without power tools, and you get a free, ‘I survived Camp Fenton T-shirt’ plus food and drinks; birthday parties at Fentonious Casa like 40th and 50th; Fourth of July at Navy Amphibious Base; retirement party and Super Bowl parties with Chuck’s famous gumbo. Chuck always liked a good party! And that “Good Luck, Chuck” gathering at Rockin Baja Lobster on 11/1/21, was the best of all!
Chuck, you had a tremendous love of plants, cactus, gardening, reptiles; every living thing was precious. (I think you kept many reptiles as a way to screen out the bad females and see which was worthy of a second date; chickens need not apply.) You coached your own caterpillars into butterflies.
Chuck, you did not complain when the tarantula moved onto the kitchen counter. You kept desert turtles. Your turtle enclosure is a vision; heck, any turtle would love it! And Dozer guy turtle could never keep away from his lady friend, regardless of the hurdles you built. You never met an animal you didn’t like. But Bear lab tested you on every level: “Where did that dog run off to now,” and Trapper lab was just happy to have our family. Anytime you caught a racoon, you would pack us into the truck, and drive to Sunrise Highway, or short trips to Lindo Lake and the tree of life.
Chuck had such a love for animals that he drove to Mike’s house in Cardiff, 105 miles round trip, and rescued a pitiful, hungry, lost, red chicken and helped her thrive with the other hens/chickens, even if she was low chicken on the totem poll. Her name was Chicken Little.
In so many ways, Chuck left his impression on everyone around him.
Chuck, you have left your handprints on my heart, and on the hearts of many others, and we are better for it. Your fight is over, but you engaged on your terms. Though your journey is done on this earth, your adventures will live on in our cherished memories. You did everything you loved.
There goes my hero, watch him as he goes …
Love always, Christina
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