Descendants of Captain Arthur Fenner

Richard Corydon Fenner

[b 26 Dec. 1928 at Sturgis, MI; d 25 Oct. 2005 in Kalamazoo, MI] Richard Corydon Fenner (“Doc”) and his family lived almost three miles east of Union City, MI, but then moved to Bronson, MI, and lived there for several years before settling on Deno Road in Colon, MI. On 2 May 1946, a few weeks before his graduation from Colon Community High School, Doc signed with the Navy as a part of the Holloway Program, which was intended to recruit new pilots after WWII. As part of his officer training program, he attended two years of college at the Lawrence Institute of Technology in Detroit. While in Detroit, he met and married Lottie Gruszczynski [b 28 Dec. 1929 in Detroit, MI], daughter of Joseph Gruszczynski [1894–1964] and Stella Cwiakala [1904–1995], on 14 Feb. 1948. Lottie’s parents were both Polish immigrants; she had one brother, Edward [1927–2018]. Stella and Joseph divorced ca. 1940, and Stella m 2nd Walter Lukasik [1904–1987] on 15 February 1941 in Detroit.

Doc reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL, in April 1948 and completed his flight training at N.A.S. Corpus Christi, TX, in November 1949. On 4 June 1950, Doc became the youngest Navy pilot in the U.S. when he was sent to the Far East in the first week of June 1950 with the VP-47 on Patrol Duty of the Pacific, first in the Philippines, then by the end of June in Korea, where he flew PBM seaplanes. While he was away, Lottie gave birth to their first child, Diana, in Detroit on 14 July 1950. In September of 1950, the United States entered the Korean War. Before the declaration of war, all of his squadron’s armor and artillery had been sent to the Philippines, so each pilot only had a 45-caliber pistol and four bombs for his plane. For a while, some squadrons had to resort to using depth charges as bombs.

In June 1951, Doc was transferred to N.A.S. Alameda in California, then in November 1952 he went back to N.A.S. Pensacola, where he taught flying until February 1955. While in Pensacola, they had their second child, Richard, on 18 October 1953. Doc was co-pilot of the first T-34 Mentor, and he was also co-pilot of the first P-3 Demonstrator. In 1953, he was one of three men in charge of selecting the P-3 as the official Navy training plane, which was used by the Navy for more than forty years.

Doc was transferred to N.A.S. Brunswick, GA, for instruction in blimp flying, then was promoted to Lieutenant in July 1955 and spent the following two and a half years flying blimps at N.A.S. Lakehurst, NJ, at a time when blimp development was highly classified. One of the blimps he flew was the ZPG-3, which set a world record for flying eleven days without refueling. While in Lakehurst, they had their third child, Nancy, on 29 August 1956.

In August 1957, Doc was transferred to N.A.S. Jacksonville, FL, where Doc oversaw the training of six flight squadrons and learned to fly P2V-7 patrol planes. He and Lottie had their fourth child, Cindy, on 7 November 1958, and he was named Patrol Plane Commander in December 1958. In January 1959, he helped establish a new Anti-Submarine Command Center and became its first Operational Control Center Officer. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in January 1961. From 1962 to 1963, his younger brother Darwin was also stationed at JAX.

The family moved again to N.A.S. Minneapolis, MN, in 1963, then to N.A.S. Atlanta (Marietta), GA, in 1966. Under Doc’s guidance, the squadrons at Marietta went from being extremely low-ranked to being the top-ranked squadrons in the nation. One of the squadrons won the Conway Trophy for being the best anti-sub squadron in the United States. After Doc retired in 1969 at the rank of Lieutenant Commander, the family settled in settled in Portage, MI, on Thrushwood Ave. For the next several years, Doc worked as co-owner of Eddie’s Engine Service (a joint venture with his wife’s brother) and as a mechanic for Milwood Auto Parts and Kal-Aero. Starting in 1991, he became caretaker for a large riverside home in Sodus, MI. He was also a member of the VFW, Red Arrow Post #1527, serving as their Quartermaster. At his death from a stroke in 2005, he was given military rites and was buried at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, MI. Lottie maintained their home on Thrushwood Ave. until 2021, age 92, when she moved in with Nancy and Ken Moore in nearby Scotts, MI.

1. Diana May [b 14 July 1950 at Detroit, MI] m Roger Stubig.

2. Rev. Richard Gary [b 18 Oct. 1953 at Pensacola, FL] m Gerri Emmons.

3. Nancy Marcy Ann [b 29 Aug. 1956 at Lakehurst, NJ] m Ken Moore.

4. Cindy Gail [b 7 Nov. 1958 Jacksonville, FL] m 1st Frank Loedeman, m 2nd Paul Eggers.

Lineage:
Arthur | Thomas | Thomas | Daniel | Thomas | William | Nathaniel | Collins | Corydon | Nelson | Homer | Richard

Sources:
1. Various interviews and family records.