It is a tradition among first responders to send off a colleague who has passed with a procession and a “last call” on the emergency alert system. So it was on April 21, when the Verona Fire Department and Rescue Squad paid tribute to Stephen A. Fenton, who died on April 19 at the age of 77.
Fenton was a member of the Verona Fire Department (Company 2) from 1967 to 1974 and was on the Verona Rescue Squad from 1968 to 1980, serving as captain. He was also a member of the fire department in Edgecomb, Maine, where he spent much happy time.
The tribute to Fenton had to be different because of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. There was only a driver in each of the service vehicles that rolled down Bloomfield Avenue, while other members of both squads stood 6 feet apart at the curbs. The procession also included a front loader because Fenton was the owner of Fenton Contracting of Verona from 1965 to 2005.
Photos By: Ed Carattini Jr.
