Descendants of George Fenner
Melvin Reid Fenner
[b 18 July 1915 at NYC; d 2 June 2001 at Phoenix, AZ] On 7 June 1941 in Chicago, IL, Melvin Reid Fenner m Mary Alice Hall [b 20 July 1919 in Harrisonville, MO; d 3 July 2000 in Phoenix, AZ], daughter of John Robert and Mary B. Hall. Melvin earned his B.A. in philosophy from Monmouth College, Monmouth, IL, then earned a bachelor of divinity from the Chicago Theological Seminary (University of Chicago), and became Congregationalist minister. Mary was a graduate of the University of Missouri and had also studied at the Chicago seminary, where she met Melvin. He and Mary moved to Ballantine, MT, in 1943, then to Butte, MT, the following year. He was formally ordained on 27 July 1945 at a summer Congregationalist meeting at Red Lodge, Livingston, MT. In 1946, they moved to Calumet Twp., MI, one of the northernmost parts of Michigan’s upper penninsula, where Melvin led the Calumet Congregational Church. Around 1950, they moved again, to Portland, OR, then in January 1952 near Spokane, WA, where Melvin pastored the Cusick and Usk Congregational churches. In 1953, he became pastor of the Congregationalist church in Dayton, WA, where he led a building improvement campaign, followed by a brief stint in Toppenish, WA. Melvin’s father John died in Dayton in 1957. In spite of all the moves, Mary kept in contact with her family in Missouri and would often travel there for visits.
Dadeville Record (AL), 3 Aug. 1961.
In August 1961, Melvin was appointed as chaplain and professor of religion at Southern Union College in Wadley, AL, and Mary became professor of speech and drama. This was also short-term, as they moved again to Avon Park, FL, where Melvin took a position in the state conference headquarters of the United Church of Christ, then in the fall of 1963 he was interim pastor of the First UCC of Cypress Lake Estates (Ft. Myers, FL) and taught courses on marriage and family at Edison Junior College; in April 1964 he opened an office as a full-time marriage/family counselor, concurrent with his duties at EJC. They had moved again briefly to Salem, PA, where Melvin filled a pulpit for a United Church of Christ there, then back to Ft. Myers in 1968 where he served a Congregationalist church, but by 1969 they had returned to Washington to pastor the Harrington Community Church. After his retirement in Monroe, WA, Melvin continued to preach on an interim basis in places including Nogales, AZ, El Paso, TX, and Flagstaff, AZ.
David [b 26 Jan. 1945 at Butte, MT] m Linda Brittain on 4 Jan. 1976, had Carla [b 13 Mar. 1981], Margo [b 23 July 1984], and Lydia [30 June 1988].
Douglas [b 15 Dec. 1947 at Laurium, MI] m Deborah Prince.
Philip Melvin [b 27 Aug. 1956 at Dayton, WA] m Candace Blake on 28 July 1984, had twins Trevor and Evelyn [b 22 Apr. 1987].
Mary B. Hall & Mary Alice Hall, courtesy of Philip Fenner.