John Carson Fenner, 85, of Tempe, died peacefully at home on Dec. 11, 2007. John was born 11/7/1922 in Albany, NY, the 4th of 5 children. As a small boy, his family moved to Chicago where he met and married his high school sweetheart. He served honorably in the U.S. Army and fought in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. John graduated with honors from the University of Michigan and moved with his family to Scottsdale in 1960. He retired from Motorola Semi-Conductor division as a systems analyst and loved playing golf. John enjoyed singing in church choirs and was the past president of the three time International Champion "Phabulous Phoenicians" Barbershop chorus. He also was a "Life Master" in the American Contract Bridge League and played that "dumb game" as often as he could. John is survived by daughters, Barb Beringer (Joe), Margaret Saunders (Jim) and Mary McCoy; sons, John (Catherine), Tom (Linda), 9 grandchildren and 2 brothers, Arthur "Bud" (Jean) of NH and Joe (Alice Ann) of IL. He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara "Bee" 7 weeks ago, his "soul mate" of 61 years, his son Doug and 2 sisters, Mary and Gertrude. Visitation from 6-8:00 pm, Friday December 14 with 7 pm vigil scripture service at Tempe Mortuary, 405 E. Southern Ave, Tempe. Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated Saturday, December 15 at 10 am at the Church of the Holy Spirit, 1800 E. Libra Drive, Tempe. In lieu of flowers, tax deductible donations will be gratefully accepted by Aunt Rita's Foundation, P.O. Box 3946, Phoenix 85030, dedicated to caring for people living with HIV. The family wishes to thank the staff of Precious Memories Adult Care Home and Hospice of Arizona for their amazing care and kindness. John has joined "Bee" again on her birthday and is singing with her and their friends in the choir invisible.
Published by The Arizona Republic on Dec. 13, 2007