Cranston Mayor Allan Fung proposed to longtime girlfriend Barbara Fenton with this tanzanite engagement ring. Photo courtesy Barbara Fenton.
By Kim Kalunian, WPRO News
Cranston Mayor and former Republican candidate for governor Allan Fung has officially popped the question to longtime girlfriend Barbara Ann Fenton.
Fenton was by Fung’s side for many of his appearances on the campaign trail, and Fung called Fenton “the beautiful love of my life” in his gubernatorial concession speech.
Now Fenton tells WPRO News Fung proposed on a trip to Mexico a week and a half ago.
“It didn’t quite go as planned,” she said in an email. “He stopped real quick on the beach, I tripped over him, the ring flew out of his hand in front of a really large pelican, and a little screaming later [the ring] was recovered. Phew!”
The ring is a 2.5 carat purple tanzanite surrounded by 54 diamonds.
Fenton, also an active member of the local GOP, met Fung at the 2012 Republican National Convention.
“I accidentally hit him in the head with an umbrella,” she said.
Fenton said she would like to tie the knot sometime in 2016, preferably in her hometown of Newport. She said they still have a lot of details to iron out, but one thing is already set in stone: their wedding cake will be Gregg’s “Death by Chocolate.”
