Obituary of Francis EARLE Fenton

“When I die, I want to be stood in the corner with a martini in my hand and a cigarette in the other.”

Francis Earle Fenton was born in June in the year 1932. He was 91 years old when the angels came to take him away.

Who was Francis Earle Fenton? He, along with his wife Lillian Marie of just about 70 years, were responsible and loving parents to five children and who welcomed five life partners of those children. Then there were grandchildren and then the great grandchildren. He has been a father figure to his three siblings as well, as he helped to raise them after his own father’s demise when he was a very young man. It was a responsibility he carried without complaint. He was honoured to proudly escort both his sisters down the aisle on their wedding days.

Marie lamented that this April 24th would have been their 70th wedding anniversary. It was a moment of high emotion for her to acknowledge that the date would not be celebrated together. Most people only live to the age of 70; this man kept company with the love of his life for as long as a lifetime. He was a butcher who married a baker. He could not eat the baked goods his wife would create because he would not tolerate eating eggs. He did enjoy family and loved to be able to sit and watch the circus.

“Water makes you rust!” He would say as he would not willingly drink a glass of water. Yet at end of days that is what he needed and wanted water to sustain him.

He loved to have corn on the cob; to buy it direct from the farmer bring it home to have it served where he would carefully take a long knife to cut all the kernels off the cob.

He was remembered as Grampa Salt by his granddaughter’s friends as they watched him salt his meal.

He would be content to take care of the grandchildren in the living room, the most recent young one cradled against his body with his arm hanging over him while the older young ones were sprawled on the floor to watch “Fraggle Rock”. Was he napping…maybe a bit?

Earle very much liked to eat berries, any berry. The more the better.

Being with family was the life’s blood of his life.

He rarely got angry as he knew it would be a waste of energy. He liked being lazy. One family quote “Trust a lazy man to figure out an easy way to clean a freezer.” I believe a garden hose, and nozzles were involved.

Francis EARLE Fenton will be remembered fondly and with copious amounts of love. He was a stellar soul and we are all very fortunate to have had him be a part of our lives.

May your soul Rest in Peace.

When the tears flow and they will, we all hope that the sadness will be salted with joy; he would have appreciated being here to see the family and friends coming together celebrating the life and love that was his home. He would sit quietly listening to the comings and goings of family content and happy that they were together to celebrate whatever needed celebrating.