PORTLAND – Timothy R. Fenno, 52, of Falmouth, died suddenly on Jan. 22.

Tim, lifelong horseman, was born Feb. 22, 1955, the son of Ralph Fenno Sr. and the former Helen Donahue. He was raised at his family’s farm in Buxton, where he learned the sport of harness racing from his father, who was a well-known trainer and race announcer.

He moved to New York in the early 1970s, where he stabled at Roosevelt Raceway. He trained for Howard Sanborn, who had horses with his father, and there met longtime friends Ray Schnittker, Paul Doherty and many others. He worked for Jack Kopas, where they conditioned Jade Prince, who at 2 held the-then-fastest race time ever 1:54; Roses Are Red; Areba Areba; Super Clint; Soky’s Atom and Nat Lobell.

He also worked for Sonny Patterson, where they trained the great FFA horse My Bill Forward for Dr. Alroy Chow of Maine. He returned to Maine in the early 1990s and worked with his brother-in-law, Glenn Deletetsky, and they trained Indianapolis who, in 1990, broke the world record for trotters at the Meadowlands that had stood for many years.

Later he worked for hall of famer Donald Richards, where he met his wife, Jan. After their marriage, he worked for his brother-in-law Kevin Switzer and family, and was a major part of their success. Most recently he worked for Ival Cianchette with trainer Rob Dinning and groom Herbie Legrow. He was proud to be associated with the many horsemen, owners and horses he had the honor to have met and work with over the years.

He was respected and much loved by family and friends. He especially loved his niece, Jennifer, and was blessed to be at her wedding on New Year’s Eve of this year. He was very proud and supportive of his family and friends and never missed an opportunity to watch them compete. He was especially proud to watch the development of his nephew Kevin Switzer Jr. He maintained close ties with his friends in the business throughout the United States including Roland Mallar, Rule Goodblood, Stanley Whittemore, Paul Doherty and Ray Schnittker.

He is survived by his wife, Jan McNitt; sister, Jan Fenno of Auburn; niece, Jennifer Deletetsky Finch and her husband, Danny and their son, Daniel; his sister-in-law, Denise McNitt and her husband, Kevin Switzer Sr. and their son, Kevin Switzer Jr. and his fiancée, Elizabeth MacKenzie.

He was predeceased by his parents; and his brother Hank, the announcer at Scarborough Downs, in 2005.

He was a special man who never had anything to say, but good about his family and friends. He was respected and loved, and will be greatly missed.