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Jerry Fenton (1939-2025)

Wrestling: Jerry Fenton

This Witness Post is written as a memorial to a coach I met through Oregon high school wrestling circles. His name is Jerry Fenton. He was 86 years old.

Coach Fenton passed away peacefully in June, 2025, in Milwaukie, Oregon. A native of Portland, Oregon, Fenton lived a full life grounded in steadfast love, community service and deep personal connections. Jerry attended Milwaukie High School from 1954-1958 and was Senior Class president. His classmates voted him most likely to succeed. After a successful high school wrestling career at Milwaukie, Jerry attended Portland State University, where he was a two-time Oregon collegiate champion. After college, Fenton secured a job as a biology teacher and coach at Rex Putnam High School in the North Clackamas School District. He stayed as a teacher at Rex Putnam until he retired, after more than three decades there. He coached varsity sports for most of those years. His most revered coaching influence was in the wrestling room.

During his 26 years at RPHS, Fenton’s wrestling teams finished 10th, 5th, 2nd, and in 1971 they won the state team championship. In total Coach Fenton had 35 individual district champions, 27 state place winners and seven (7) Oregon state champions.

Besides coaching, Jerry also set aside time to be involved with the Oregon state wrestling Association. His committee work included a ton of writing: the proposal for Oregon state dual-meet Championships, the School District guidelines notebook, the Wilco District and sub-district brackets and other tournament planning documents. Without these guidelines the Association and the teams would have floundered.

He was a devoted husband to Peg for 37 wonderful years, with whom he shared laughter, adventure and everyday joy. In all Jerry was the proud father of four daughters — Kim, Kasey, Kylee, and lastly Kathy, whom he loved through marriage. Fenton was a loving grandfather to JJ, Anna, Nina, Omar, Aliya, and Aiden. He was a joyful great-grandfather to Avery and a father-figure to his sons-in-law Brent, Kareem, Felton, and Chris. He was also a pivotal, positive male figure to all of the football and wrestling athletes he coached over the quarter century+ at Putnam.

His high school teaching and coaching career stretched over a 32-year span; and he his impact left a lasting impression. As a beloved biology teacher and football and wrestling coach, Jerry inspired generations of solid scientists and citizens with his sense of humor and genuine encouragement. As a coach Fenton kept handwritten notes about all of his wrestlers, which he compiled into binders to help him remember what coaching techniques must be drilled for that one athlete and for the whole Putnam team practices. Those binders, which he preserved in his attic, were scooped up as treasures by former Putnam wrestlers, more than twenty of whom attended his memorial service at RPHS.

Jerry especially helped shape Oregon’s wrestling community through initiatives and leadership. Fenton was responsible for founding the Old-Timers Wrestling Tournament in 1978 and, in 2007, he was honored nation-wide, when he earned the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Lifetime Service Award.

Jerry loved kids first and foremost, and he also loved nature and gardening. He developed a taste for wine as an adult; he loved how it brought people together. Though he traveled far from his birth state over the years, his heart was always at home in Oregon. He died in 2025 surrounded by family and love. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all those who knew him.

A Celebration of Life ceremony was held on Sunday, June 22, 2025 at Rex Putnam High School Auditorium.

Testimonials and remembrances in honor of Coach Fenton:

Mr. Fenton was a captivating teacher. Really smart and challenged his students. My friends (Paula and Capril, you know who you are!) and I were miserable science students, so we devised a plan to “assist” each other during tests. If you didn’t know the answer to something, you would cough and say the number of the test question. The others in our group would put our pencil straight up if it was “A”, 45 degree angle if it was “B”, 90 degrees if it was “C”, 135 degree angle if it was “D”, and straight down if it was “All the Above.” You would then glance at your friends’ responses and pick whichever was the majority answer. It seemed to be working well, until Mr. Fenton asked one of us if he should just grade one of our tests and give the same grade to everyone at the table? Oh, he caught us!!! Life well lived, Mr. Fenton. You were loved by many! — Wynnette DeMenge-Salazar

He was a favorite teacher to many and friend to all. A good human, Mr. Fenton was respected by students and colleagues alike. — Jonalyn Horsfall

Coach Fenton was one of my male role models while growing up. He trusted me to baby sit his daughters, when they were young. Sorry to hear he has passed. — Matt Davey

Oh boy, I so hate to read that Jerry Fenton passed away. He was one of my favorite teachers. My high school class (1976) at RPHS is planning our 50th reunion and I was wondering if I could find Jerry for an invite. My condolences to all who loved him. — Kristen Eldredge Lindsey

I remember Jerry Fenton as a mild-mannered man with an infectious smile, who was respected by the entire student body at Rex Putnam. He was a great coach. I had him in football and wrestling during my freshman year. Rest in peace, Coach! — Joe Opsahl

Jerry’s memory lives on in my heart. Jerry graduated from Milwaukie High School in 1958 and was Senior Class president and his classmates voted him most likely to succeed. My sister, Jeanne, was in his class. Jerry was well-liked and respected by all. — Karen Kullberg Faw

Jerry was a neighbor of mine in Oak Grove, Oregon . He was a class ahead of me in school. Always friendly and smiling. My condolensces to his family. — Nancy Stuart Tinsley

Mr. Fenton was my favorite teacher at Putnam! Believe it or not, he made biology actually a pleasant class to be in. Rest in peace! — Kelly Lyons McDonley, RPHS class of 1980