Aaron C. Fenrich Obituary
According to Aaron's wishes, cremation has taken place. A celebration of his life will happen this summer. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Michigan Agrability https://www.michiganagrability.org. or The National. Memorial for Peace and Justice (through EJI at https://eji.org).
Aaron Christian Fenrich passed away unexpectedly on March 11, 2025, at the age of 56. He was known for his quiet strength and caring nature. Aaron was born in Holland, MI and spent the majority of his life in Hamilton, MI where he graduated from high school in 1986.
After high school, he worked various jobs in construction and agriculture, but his 20's and early 30's were mostly focused on having fun with his family and friends. The times he spent on and around Lake Michigan with his friends made for really good stories – but not necessarily ones he would want made public. Aaron was a very private man of few words, in keeping with a nickname he had throughout his life: Mouse. Though many called him Mouse, he had the heart of a gentle giant. His friends knew he could be counted on to show up for them anytime and everytime.
In his mid-30's, Aaron stopped working in order to be a full-time caregiver for his parents and grandparents as each of them sequentially became ill and passed on. It was a very difficult phase in his life but it's an illustration of one of many ways that he showed his love for family through actions rather than words.
In 2012, through Facebook (and a little nudge from his best friend, Andy Dailey), Aaron reconnected with Shari, a girl he knew from high school. They have been together ever since.
In 2013, Aaron survived an aortic dissection and the physically challenging road to recovery. Although he was eventually able to farm part-time on his family's farm with his brother and his nephews, he needed and received support from Michigan Agrability to enable this. In gratitude, Aaron served as a member of their Farmer Review Panel.
Aaron's primary work, though, was helping to raise Shari's two daughters, Yemaya and Trellina. Just as he was with his friends, Aaron showed up anytime and everytime for the girls: chauffeuring them to school and their activities, hearing their stories at the end of the school day, cooking and caring for them in his own quiet way. Seeing the world through their perspective broadened his own perspective; and vice versa. Family vacations included everything from sunset cruises (he always loved being on the water) to museums that spoke to Aaron's love for history. One such trip to the National. Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, AL stands out in that it connected learning about history to the day-to-day experiences of the young Black women he was helping to raise. This visit had a profound impact on Aaron. In 2021, a black lab, Onyx, joined their family and Aaron loved and cared for her just as he cared for the rest of the family.
To Shari, Aaron was her rock and she loved him for that. They weathered parenting, a pandemic, two open-heart surgeries for Aaron, and injustices and lack of empathy in the world that piqued righteous anger in both of them. To keep them moving forward, they relied on their shared core values and their deep love for their girls. Aaron's last gift to this world was to be an organ donor. He had an Honor Walk with friends and family wearing baseball caps, just as Aaron wore almost every day.
Aaron was preceded in death by his father, Arthur Fenrich; his mother Diane DeHaan; and his grandparents, Rose and Julius Warczak. He is survived by his partner, Shari Weber and her daughters Yemaya and Trellina; his sister Julie Chappell and her daughters Amanda Chappell and Allie Chappell Nolan; Art Fenrich (Lisa) and his children Josh, Jared, Jason and Marie; and a host of other relatives and beloved friends.
