Patty Fields and Walter Peedin

Patty established the Robert J. Fenton Memorial Scholarship in honor of her father, who had a lifelong love of learning. In addition to keeping Robert’s name alive, the scholarship embodies his and Patty’s value of helping others. Establishing the scholarship was also an important part of Patty’s healing process after her father passed away in 2015. Patty herself was able to attend college in large part because of scholarship funds; this scholarship allows her to pay that gift forward.
Patty and her husband Walter live in Four Oaks, NC. They enjoy fishing and gardening together, and have a practice of donating most of what they grow to churches, food pantries, and other organizations that can pass it on to those in need.

About Robert J. Fenton
Robert Fenton was born on June 8th 1932 in Clark, New Jersey. His lineage included a long line of farmers and he was one of 14 children. He, like most children born during the depression time, lived in poverty. Robert left school after the 8th grade to work on the family farm. Later, he joined the Marines and in 1956 began working for the Central Railroad of New Jersey. He also held various part-time jobs for many years to support his one income family and to help others. In addition to his jobs, he started a recycling business which he continued part-time until the time of his death. The recycling business was innovative for that time and his “at home and in the basement” business was featured in several local Monmouth County, New Jersey newspapers. In 1992 he retired from New Jersey Transit which was then the existing name of the railroad.

Robert’s own lack of education had not diminished his love of learning. Two important lessons that Robert taught his children were the importance of Jesus and having a good education. He brought them to church and Sunday school every week. He also made sure they were at the local Middletown Township library every Thursday. He was known for posing questions that were often answered within his big Webster’s Dictionary or within books available in the library. The internet did not exist and there were no computers or cell phones. And because his work schedule was very irregular, the children were “strongly encouraged” to read while he was sleeping. Robert’s passion for knowledge and love of the library extended to his children.

Education was another important experience that Robert was adamant about. He often preached that having an education could lead to securing a good and stable job. His children recalled that some of their best years in school were during the elementary years. It was there they acquired the lifetime love of learning. In the end, five of his seven children graduated high school and two of the five graduated college.

After Robert retired in 1992, he spent quite a bit of his time frequenting the library and he increased his usual routine of helping others. He took care of other people’s pets; he drove the elderly to their errands; he cooked meals for others; and he supported local, national and international charity organizations. He also helped many diverse individuals, including single moms and homeless persons, assisting them with job applications, social services, and providing food, clothing and shelter. Robert also enjoyed spending time with his family throughout the year and holidays. In the latter years, he especially enjoyed his grand-children and great-grandchildren and shared his passion of learning with them. He maintained his active lifestyle until his death. Robert passed away on August 23, 2015.