Martin Fenton Jr.
OBITUARY
Martin Fenton Jr., a San Diego resident and visionary whose career ranged from oil and gas exploration to large-scale real estate development and who later helped pioneer modern senior living communities, died March 6. He was 90 years old.
Over a career spanning more than six decades, Martin Fenton reflected a distinctly American story: a man shaped by the optimism and prosperity of post-World War II America who believed that curiosity, persistence, and hard work could turn opportunity into lasting enterprise. From negotiating gas leases with farmers in California to helping create waterfront communities and later building residential environments for older Americans, his life followed the arc of a generation that came of age believing the future could be built by those willing to work hard, remain curious, and learn through experience.
In 1987, Martin co-founded the San Diego-based Senior Resource Group, a company dedicated to developing and operating residential communities for older adults. Martin Fenton’s path to senior housing was anything but direct.
Born in New York to Martin and Katharine Fenton in 1935 during the depths of the Great Depression, he spent his childhood during the upheaval of World War II and came of age during the remarkable economic expansion that followed.
He attended St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Massachusetts, graduating second in his class, and later attended Yale University, where he was a member of the Yale Glee Club, the Whiffenpoofs, and the Phelps Association. Martin’s education was demanding and formative. Every one of his teachers, coaches, and classmates served as a mentor. He later gave back by serving on the Board of Trustees of the John Thomas Dye School in Los Angeles and as a trustee emeritus of St. Mark’s School.
After Yale, Martin served in the U.S. Army as a chaplain’s assistant. The experience deepened his curiosity about the human condition and helped nurture his gifts as both a poet and a writer.
Martin’s professional career began as the self-described “executive peon” working with the four founding members of Christiana Companies Inc., an oil and gas company that later evolved into a real estate development company. What he lacked in technical training, he made up for with an inquisitive mind, confidence, and a willingness to accept and explore any challenge. He took on every task and embraced every opportunity for exposure to people, ideas, problems, and solutions. Martin rose through the ranks in part because of his visionary leadership, ultimately becoming chairman of Christiana Companies Inc.
During his time at Christiana, Martin worked closely with the City of San Diego to help plan and develop Tierrasanta, one of the city’s earliest master-planned communities. Years later, through Senior Resource Group, he developed and managed senior residential communities in the region with La Vida Del Mar, La Vida Real, and The Remington Club – projects that reflected his belief that thoughtfully designed environments could enrich the lives of older adults.
Under his leadership, Senior Resource Group became an industry leader in senior retirement living with its long-term and multidisciplinary approach to senior living. The company’s core philosophy remains centered on prioritizing the quality of life for residents, families, and team members. Martin was also a founding member of the American Senior Housing Association.
Friends and colleagues described Martin as inquisitive, energetic, and quietly reflective–a leader who believed perseverance mattered more than brilliance and that success came from paying attention, asking questions, and showing up every day ready to learn. He often said his greatest advantage had been growing up in an era when Americans believed effort mattered and the future could be shaped by those willing to build it.
Martin contributed his many skills as a director of The Capital Group for more than 25 years, as an active member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), and through his involvement with the U.S. Senior Golf Association (USSGA) and Pro Kids | The First Tee of San Diego.
Martin was immensely proud of his family. He shared 38 years of marriage with his beloved wife, Casey Griffith Fenton. He was devoted to his five children, Caroline Fenton Dewey, Martin Fenton III, Lauren Fenton Sharrow (Chris), Walker Fenton (Michelle), and Caroline Griffith Hobbs, and to his twelve grandchildren, each of whom he followed with deep interest and affection.
Martin is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren; his brother Wendell Fenton (Jeannie); and his sisters Edith Fenton Tuckerman and Prudence Fenton. He was preceded in death by his mother Katharine Douglas Fenton, father Martin Fenton Sr., sister Alice Fenton Kuhns, and brother-in-law Roger W. Tuckerman.
Martin’s many joys included golf, beach walking, fly fishing, sailing, singing, and spending time with family and friends in La Jolla, Carmel, the Adirondacks, and Bridgehampton. The best moments often came during the quiet hours before or after the day’s activities, when he could sit, talk, laugh, and truly check in with those around him.
Martin had a gift for laughter and for making others feel special simply by being in his presence. Friends and family alike remember his warmth, his loving kindness, and the effortless way he gathered people together, turning ordinary moments into lasting memories.
Martin Fenton truly was a gentle man–thoughtful, always kind, generous, and deeply interested in others. For him, the measure of a life was not simply what one accumulated, but the potential one helped foster in others. By that measure, Martin Fenton’s legacy endures through his family, his friends, and the many lives touched by the communities he helped create.
Memorial services will be held at St. James by-the-Sea in La Jolla on April 21st at noon. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to: