Mable Thelma Fenton, “Nany” to all her knew her, passed peacefully from this life on Sept. 14, 2006, hearing the words of her daughter Shirley Desimone, “The Angles and Saints will take you home.” On Dec. 17, 1906, Mable Thelma and her twin sister Mildred Thais were born to Millard and Susie Steinman Kibbe in San Jose. After the death of their father when she was 9, she and Mildred lived at the Mission San Jose convent for three years. She remembers the austerity of the times often telling the story of how they ate Christmas chocolates with the head of a pin to make them last longer. She attended business college and began work with Capwells as a bookkeeper and then a statistician. At the age of 24 she met and married Shoren Henry Fenton of Fenton”s Creamery in Oakland. They lived in Lafayette until moving to Lucerne in the early 1950s and opening Lucerne Floor Covering, which they later moved to Lakeport. After returning to Walnut Creek and retiring from Capwells, they moved to Foresthill and then in 1982 they moved back to Clearlake to be near their daughter Shirley and her family. Mable painted beautiful ceramic figurines and she and Shoren would occasionally play cards at the “Charthouse” in the 1980s, where she walked away the winner most games.
She was one of the “founding residents” of Autumn Village complex, living independently until age 98, and will be remembered by the residents for her wonderful sense of humor and many small kindnesses. At the age of 99, after smoking for over 80 years she quit “cold turkey,” laughing that it was “a nasty habit.” She was the life of the party with her easy laughter and her big heart and did not know a stranger. She lived her faith and when talking about going to Heaven, she said, “That”s how I”ve always tried to live my life.” Shoren Henry Fenton, her husband of 56 years, her sister Mildred and brother Millard and granddaughter Janice Desimone McAdam, and son-in-law Frank Desimone preceded Mable in death. She is survived by her son Shoren (Terry) of Bethel Isle, and daughter Shirley Desimone of Clearlake; Fenton grandchildren, Shoren III and Wendy; Desimone grandchildren, Ralph (Brigitte) of Walnut Creek, Jerry (Ana) of Modesto, Tom (Erma) of Antioch, Joe of Bakersfield, Bill (Cindy) of Vacaville, Laurie (Bert) Altic of Middletown, Jim McAdam of Los Ossos, Jay (Kristen) of Roseville, Linda (Louis) Altic of Eureka, Theresa (Dan) Copas of Clearlake Oaks; 35 great-grand children; and one great-great grandchild. Near her death when asked what her family could do for her, she said, “I just want all my babies to get along.”
A Mass of Christian burial in celebration of Mable”s life was held Sept. 25 at Queen of Peace Catholic Church on Uhl Avenue in Clearlake. Following internment at Lower Lake Cemetery, a reception was held at the church.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Lake County Hospice or the Queen of Peace Parish Center Building Fund in Mable”s honor.
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(Published in the Lake County Record-Bee on Wednesday, September 27, 2006.)
