Norwich, Vt. —
Penny was generous to a fault and enjoyed giving gifts to her family and friends for just about any kind of holiday, including birthdays and other special events. She was blessed with a wonderful temperament and fun sense of humor, which was shared with everyone who met her, including the health care team who helped her through the last years of her life. The kindness of her caring helpers is deeply appreciated by her family.
Penny was born on March 18, 1920, in Troutdale, Va., along with her twin brother, Joe. They were the youngest of 12 children born to Lannie Hart and Samuel Pennington. She was predecreased by her parents and all her siblings.
After graduating from high school, Penny left Troutdale for Baltimore, Md. She took nurses training at the Hospital for the Women of Maryland/Johns Hopkins and graduated with a nursing degree in the 1940s. During World War II, she was part of the Cadet Nurse Corps. She met James B. “Book” Clark Jr. in Ellicott City, Maryland where she was working at the Elkridge Farm Sanitarium. The two would marry in 1948; they had one son, James B. Clark III, in 1951.
Penny’s life was turned upside-down in 1953 when her husband died suddenly. After living for a time with her sister-in-law Ginger, Penny and Jay eventually moved to southern California in 1956. She lived for many years in Redlands, working at the Beaver Medical Clinic as an orthopedic nurse until her retirement in 1985. During those years, she enjoyed the camaraderie of her colleagues at the clinic, most especially her friend Nancy Verbeck. They loved going to estate sales and finding antiques and other treasures at a bargain. After spending a number of years in retirement in Redlands, Penny moved to the Upper Valley during the 1990s to be closer to her son and family. Long after she moved away from her native state of Virginia, her Southern roots were evident by her sense of hospitality as well as a hint of the accent of her youth.
Survivors include her son Jay, his wife Lillian “Gay-C” Gahagan; granddaughters Nora Clark and Angie Clark Groves; great-grandsons Klutch Donohue, Rheed and Daine Groves; sisters-in-law Kathleen Pennington and Lenora Pennington; nephews Lyle, Larry and Sammy Jo Pennington; her niece Ellen Yenawine; and many other nephews, and nieces in California, Florida, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
A memorial service is being planned at St Barnabas Episcopal Church in Norwich.
In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to St. Barnabas in her name.