Archie Fenton

George Archibald Fenton, III was born June 6, 1958, in Morristown, NJ and died August 27, 2024, in Reading, PA.

Archie Fenton loved the great outdoors.  His passion for the woods began as a child when he played in his backyard, which just happened to be the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. He became a Boy Scout and made a trip to Philmont Scout Ranch.

Beginning at age 15, together with his lifelong friend Jay Symonds, Archie climbed 47 of the48 New Hampshire four-thousand-foot mountains. 

Archie had many interesting jobs throughout his life. As a young man he worked in the oil fields of Wyoming as a roustabout. One of his great memories was watching the July 4 fireworks of several different towns from his perch atop an oil rig.

Archie stayed in Wyoming for college, attending the University of Wyoming, where he became a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He also learned to ski in college. After graduating in 1986 he moved back to New Jersey.

In New Jersey he joined the Short Hills Ski Club where he remained a member for nearly four decades. He served as an officer and board member at various times over the years.

Archie joined the National Ski Patrol in the 1990’s, volunteering at Okemo, Bear Creek, and Sugarloaf mountains for more than 15 years.  He particularly loved seeking out backcountry trails and his descents down Tuckerman’s Ravine were the stuff of legend.

When the snow melted, Archie would grab a fly rod and head for a trout stream. He fished in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Maine and Colorado. He especially enjoyed trips to fish in Yellowstone National Park and in the Scottish Highlands. For 15 years he made an annual pilgrimage to the Douglaston Salmon Run in Pulaski, NY with his group of fly-fishing disciples.

In 2002 he met a medical student named Kathleen Sheridan. His opening line was, “you should probably know that I hate doctors.” They married 51 weeks after their first date and remained together for 21 years, proving every day that opposites attract. Archie went from being a 44-year-old bachelor to suddenly being a husband and stepfather to Rachael Bellis and Andrew Bellis. As a stepfather, Archie enjoyed watching Rachael’s theater and music performances. As a passionate soccer dad to Andrew, he was once ejected from the stands for insulting the opposing college’s athletic director.

Archie met the true love of his life in 2015—Mishka, his Karelian Bear Dog. She accompanied him on hikes and valiantly protected him from innumerable porcupines.

Archie and Kathleen owned a home in Massachusetts that had two rare American Chestnut trees. He grew interested in preserving the species and volunteered with The Chestnut Foundation.

In 2022 Archie was diagnosed with cardiac angiosarcoma, an ultrarare sarcoma. He battled for more than two years, enduring chemotherapy, open heart surgery, gene therapy and immunotherapy. He participated in the APOLLO project, part of the Moon Shots Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center. His contributions may help researchers in the fight against cancer.

Archie was greeted in heaven by his brother, Sam Fenton, his mother Noralie Priem Fenton, and his father, George Archibald Fenton, Jr. Let us hope he has found the greatest fishing hole ever in heaven.

Archie will be missed by his brother, Charlie Fenton, and by his wife, Kathleen Sheridan, daughter Rachael Bellis (Nathan Allcock), son Andrew Bellis (Taylor Beech) and his grand-daughter McKay Beech-Bellis. He adored spending time with his many cousins, in-laws, nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at Christ Episcopal Church in Reading, PA on Friday September 13 at11am.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation designated in memory of Archie Fenton to support the research of Vinod Ravi, MD at MD Anderson Cancer Center PO Box 4486 Houston, TX 77210-4486.  (713) 792-3450.www.mdanderson.org/gifts

You may also consider a donation to Sophie’s Fund, a grassroots group that rehomes Karelian Bear Dogs.https://www.gofundme.com/f/6wqd9u-sophies-fund

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