John Truxal Pennington Jr.

John "Buzz" Pennington, Jr., 83, of Catawba, SC passed away Monday, February 11, 2013 at his home. Born in E. McKeesport, PA, Mr. Pennington was the son of the late Edith and John T. Pennington, Sr. He was a loving father and husband, he was a first Lieutenant in the US Army and served in the Korean war. He loved sports, including golf, bowling, football, baseball and basketball and was an avid bass fisherman. He was a Choir director for many years and he played in a band in his retirement that traveled locally and entertained senior citizens. Mr. Pennington was also a graduate of Purdue University. He worked for 30+ years travelling and selling specialized mechanical fasteners/ hardware, became VP of J.O. KING, INC. All the hundreds of thousands of miles he drove while traveling and working he NEVER had a car accident He enjoyed his retirement for over 25 years, he loved his church and devoted much of his spare time helping those that needed assistance. His family remembers him playing the piano while they all sang, or just listened, or danced around. He could dance a mean jitterbug, thus his email address. He loved feeding the birds, loved his many decades of dogs, he loved and was so proud of his 7 children and his one stepson. He was known to all from a very young age as Buzz... He loved exploring and conversing about many things including the economic/financial world He was always so respectful and appreciative of the Doctors and Nurses that had taken care of him especially the last decades. Buzz always made friends with his neighbors wherever he lived and they became his lifeline especially in his later years..He was raised by his Grandparents who instilled a sense of family that ran deep in his veins. He even watched over Aunt Sarah, Etta Mae & Olive (who actually lived with them for a while) as they aged, he loved SPORTS from playing, to coaching and watching them. He coached kids baseball from Little League to American Legion age & also, Pop Warner Football. He was an active member of the Optimist Club in Charlotte for many years. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by 2 daughters, Patricia Pennington and Judy Pennington. He is survived by his wife, Karen Pennington; his children, Scott Pennington (Krista) of Charlotte, NC, John Truxal Pennington, III (Shirley) of Costa Rica, Michael Pennington (Michelle) of Shelbyville, KY, Jeremy Blake (Jessica)of NJ, Leigh Kostoryz (Jim) of Ennice, NC, and Susan Hammersley (Jim) of Lakewood, WA; 9 grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild. A service to celebrate the life of Mr. Pennington will be held 2pm Thursday, February 14, 2013 in the chapel of Bass-Cauthen Funeral Home with Rev. Mike Black and Rev. Nick Campbell officiating. The family will receive friends from 6-8pm Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at Bass-Cauthen Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Humane Society of York County, 8177 Regent Parkway, Fort Mill, SC 29715, Wounded Warrior Foundation, 2115 Park Blvd. San Diego, CA 92101, or to First Christian Church, P.O. Box 4737 Rock Hill, SC 29732.

Visitation Details

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013 6:00pm - 8:00pm, Bass-Cauthen Funeral Home

Service Information

Thursday, February 14th, 2013 2:00pm, Bass-Cauthen Funeral Home