Peter J. Fennel ’49

Dr. Peter J. Fennel ’49 died April 9, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nev. He was born on November 28, 1928, in Alexandria, La., and prepared for college at South Portland High School. A member of Zeta Psi fraternity at Bowdoin, he graduated from Cornell University Medical School in 1952, was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Navy in 1954 and was stationed in Portsmouth, N.H. until his honorable discharge two years later. He served to lieutenant commander. He practiced medicine in Portland for a time before making his way back to Louisiana, earning board certification in anesthesia in 1960. While working at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, he met a young nurse named Ruth Kettenring, whom he married on New Year’s Eve 1965. The couple moved to Las Vegas in 1968. He served as chairman of the anesthesia department at Valley Hospital in 1977 and served in the same role at Desert Springs Hospital in 1984. He practiced anesthesia until his retirement in 1993, but maintained his medical license and continued as a part-time staff physician for many years. In his younger years, he loved to dance. He and Ruth were long-time members of the local square- and round-dance community and owned a retail store catering to its needs. He also trained and showed boxers and Rottweilers, winning several awards and ribbons. He is survived by his wife of forty-eight years, Ruth Kettenring Fennel; son Peter J. Fennel Jr.; daughter Tracy Morris; two granddaughters; and three great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his older brother, Lawrence Fennel Jr.

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