Jennifer Fenton-Jones

Jennifer Fenton-Jones of Harvard, Mass., died peacefully on December 23 after a four-year struggle with cancer. She was 56 years old. Born in Concord, Massachusetts, Jenny grew up in Fairfield County, Connecticut graduating from Greenwich High School in 1986. From there, she would attend Colby College, Boston University, and Manhattanville College where she earned a Master's degree in Education. For close to 10 years, she taught special education at The Haynes School in Sudbury, MA and The Carlisle Public School in Carlisle before retiring to raise her four children full time.

Jenny had many strengths, but none were greater than being a mother. It was a role she embraced with great enthusiasm, and she always encouraged her children to be loving, collaborative, and independent. It was okay to make mistakes, but as she indicated on many occasions, "If your poop stinks, I'll tell you."

Always in search of the "perfect" home, Jenny moved her family all over Eastern Massachusetts from Acton to Carlisle to Groton to Concord and finally to Harvard. Once in Harvard, she claimed she had found the house and the town she had always wanted. Regardless, wherever she went, she made wonderful, long lasting friends who appreciated her warmth and optimism, even the nurses and doctors at Dana Farber and Mass General adored her.

Outside of her dedication to family, Jenny believed in volunteering her time to causes she believed in, and it's no surprise those causes usually involved children. She served as a substitute teacher at The Nashoba Brooks School in Concord, MA, she chaired the Annual Family Trees Celebration at The Concord Museum, and she volunteered weekly at The Hildreth Elementary School library before becoming ill. She was a "pacesetter" for The Jimmy Fund Walk, participating in the 2021 and 2022 fundraisers.

A lover of stories, Jenny was always reading and treasured her membership in the Women of Candleberry Book Club. She also loved science fiction movies and, to the amazement of her husband, trashy television, with a commitment to programs such as Ink Master, Below Deck, Love It or List It, The Price is Right, and Let's Make a Deal. Her favorite book was Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet; her favorite movie was Out of Africa.

Jenny leaves behind her devoted husband, Chris; her four adoring children: Carter, Lysbet, Holly and Trevor; her loving sister, Pam; her mother, Barbara; her stepfather, Bruce; and her father, Dean. She is predeceased by her brother, Dwight Fenton.

The funeral and burial will be private, for family only, but a Celebration of Life is planned for the spring in Harvard, details to follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.