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Ronald Zachary Fenton
- Published: January 5, 2024
Ronald Zachary Fenton passed away Dec. 11, 2023, in Miami Valley Hospital South, from complications due to pneumonia and cardiac arrest, after a year and a half of failing health.
He was the son of Rebecca Ramsey Fenton and the late Ronald Fenton. He was born Dec. 17, 1977, in Dayton, Ohio, in St. Elizabeth Hospital.
Zac attended The Vale School, the Antioch School and Yellow Springs public schools. He was a talented musician, specializing in the guitar, along with playing many self-taught instruments. He built an elaborate recording studio in his home and spent much of his life recording his and other musicians’ work. In his spare time, he especially enjoyed graffiti art and had some of his art featured in newspaper articles, in which he discussed his love for this art form. A few of his pieces still exist around Yellow Springs if you know where to look.
At the age of 6, he announced that when he grew up, he wanted to be an artist. His sister chastised him, telling him he didn’t want to do that because he couldn’t make any money being an artist. He told her he didn’t care about making money because he just loved to make art. He was true to his desires, didn’t make much money, but made the beautiful art and music that he loved.
In his 20s, he traveled the country, living on both coasts and making friends wherever he went before coming home and eventually settling in Fairborn, Ohio.
He inherited his father’s dry sense of humor. He loved “Monty Python” and could quote scenes from “Fawlty Towers” and other British humor. He also had love for classic rock and the Boston Celtics, attending many of their games.
At the age of 9, his parents took him to his first rock concert, in Indianapolis, to see Pink Floyd. They wanted his first concert to be a memorable one. It was, inspiring him to want to take guitar lessons, putting a Washburn electric guitar in layaway and earning the money to pay for it himself. He was a huge Frank Zappa fan and had a large library of his music and books about him. Over the years, he was a member of several different bands, the latest being Spinal Fantasy, a tribute band to Spinal Tap. They performed in the Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati area.
He would take road trips with his parents to enjoy basketball games, concerts and other adventures. He loved critters of all kinds, but had a special fondness for cats, caring for the feral cats in his neighborhood, along with the three elderly cats he shared his home with.
Zac is survived by his mother, Rebecca Ramsey Fenton, of Yellow Springs; his sister, Amy George; nephew, Marcus George; niece, Jamie Johnson; and grandnephews, Jaren Mcpheters and Robert Coonrod, all of Springfield. He will be missed by his family and a huge group of friends from around the country.
A celebration of his life will be held at a future date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Hospice of Dayton, 324 Wilmington Ave., Dayton, OH 45420.
4 Responses to “Ronald Zachary Fenton”
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I love & miss Zac so much and its been incredibly rough without him here…hes my boyfriend of almost 6 years and my best friend…they say every day it gets easier but for me it hasn’t. I just miss him more and more. Yesterday was 4 months since he’d passed away but it feels like 10 years…my life will never be the same without him. Ill forever be lost until we meet again.
Rebecca, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Didn’t know your son but he sounds like an amazing human being!
Shanna