Mr. John Fenton Williamson

John Fenton Williamson was born on July 29, 1952, and passed away on Monday, September 22, 2014. John will be remembered as a loving brother, caring son, doting uncle, an active, passionate sportsman, and a loyal, enthusiastic friend to so many.

John worked in the insurance industry for more than 30 years; and he was the proprietor of John F. Williamson Insurance, an employee benefits brokerage in Fresno for the past 20 years.

Besides his family and wide circle of friends, John's passions included hunting, fly fishing, tennis, golf, skiing and college sports--especially his beloved University of Oregon Ducks (where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1974 and was a member of their tennis team) and his adopted U.C. Berkeley Golden Bears.

John was a highly-ranked junior tennis player and spent much of his childhood on the courts of the Fig Garden Swim & Racket Club and traveling the California junior tennis circuit. At Bullard High School, he continued his active sports life on the school's tennis and cross-country teams. John was an excellent skier, and always loved the family ski trips to China Peak, Tahoe and the Rockies.

He was preceded in death by his father, Fenton D. Williamson, Jr.

He is survived by his mother, Joan Ottley of Carmel; sister, Jenny Williamson Doré of Santa Ynez; brother, Reed Williamson of Fresno; nephew, Drew Armstrong of Santa Ynez; and niece, Kaitlin Hite of Encinitas.

A celebration of John's life will be held at Fig Garden Swim & Racket Club on Thursday, October 16, 2014 at 3:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Northern California Tennis Foundation, at 1920 North Loop Road, Alameda, CA 94502-8081. Proceeds will be for the support of junior tennis in the greater Fresno Area.