Dr. Charles E. Pennington M.D.

Born to Roy Richard Pennington and Vivian Weiss Pennington on August 7, 1927, in Mitchell, Neb. Passed away on July 2, 2010, at home in Carmichael, Calif.

He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Barbara W. Pennington, and son Robert Charles Pennington (Pam) of Foresthill, Calif., daughter Alicia Pennington Daniels of Fair Oaks, Calif., and son John William Pennington of Westminster, Colo.; grandchildren Jennifer Pennington Schulke (Matt) or Foresthill, Calif., Kenneth Charles Pennington of Foresthill, and Nicholas Pierce Daniels of Carmichael, Calif.; great-grandchildren Vandon, Kasch, and Cooper Schulke and Kaiden, Caleb, and Hale Pennington; brother Jack Richard Pennington (Claudia) of Lakewood, Colo., sister Patricia Pennington Morey (Tom) of Windson, Colo., and many loved nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his father and mother Roy Richard and Vivian Weiss Pennington, brothers William Roy Pennington (Elizabeth), and James Allen Pennington (Dorothy).

Because of the vagaries of the 1930s depression his family moved many times and Chuck attended ten different schools in Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Colorado, before entering as a freshman at Lakewood High School in Lakewood, Colo., from which he graduated in 1945. He enlisted in the U. S. Navy at that time for Navy V-5 (pilot training program) and was sent to Swarthmore College near Philadelphia. Because the national emergency ended shortly after that, he ''bailed out'' before he ever saw a Navy airplane. Chuck earned a B.S. degree in Chemistry at the University of Denver 1950, an M.D. at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1953, and at the same time a 1st Lt. Commission in the United States Army Medical Corps. He was a member of Acacia Fraternity at D.U. and of Phi Rho Sigma Fraternity at C.U. Medical School. He did a general internship at Letterman Army Hospital, San Francisco, Calif. (1953-54), accompanied there by his wife Barbara. They were married on June 8, 1952, in Denver, Colo. He served two more years as a General Medical Officer, USAR Ft. Kobbe Panama Canal Zone (1954-56), specifically stationed with the 33rd Infantry Regiment and upon discharged was a Captain. Also he was a member of the Medical Association of Isthmian Canal Zone.

Upon returning from the Canal Zone, Chuck and Barbara moved to Colorado Springs, where he established a general/family practice from 1956-1969 in association with Joseph S. Pollard, M.D. While practicing there he was a member of the American Medical Association, Colorado Medical Society, El Paso County Medical Society, and the Academy of General/Family Practice. He served as chief of staff at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs and President of the Colorado Academy of General/Family Practice, alternate delegate to the Congress of Delegates from Colorado AAGP. He served on the Camp Fire Girls board. Before leaving Colorado he served for three years on the Colorado Medical Society Relative Value Schedule committee in preparation for Medicare implementation and was Vice Chair of the Socio-Economic Committee of the Colorado Medical Society.

In July of 1969 the family made the decision to move to Sacramento, Calif., where Chuck served as the first Emergency Room Chief at Kaiser Foundation Hospital on Morse Avenue. He retired from the Permanente Medical Group in August 1987, having worked in the Emergency Room the entire time of service to PMG.

His passions were cars, photography, travel, jazz. He and Barbara made their first trip to Europe for their 25th wedding anniversary and made several more trips thereafter. After retirement the goal was to visit all of the 48 lower United States to take pictures of the state capitols inside and out. This goal was accomplished and Chuck put together a very interesting slide show program. He also did a show about the Panama Canal. A lifetime passion was jazz music and he and Barbara volunteered for 16 years with the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society Jubilee. His collection is extensive. Because of his wife's interest in genealogy be became involved with the Pennington Research Association and together they served as cochairmen for membership and ultimately Chuck was president of the organization and helped with its incorporation.

The family wishes to express its very great appreciation to Kaiser Hospice Care. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Charles's name to Kaiser Hospice Care, Crocker Art Museum, or to a charity Of your choice. Memorial services will be announced at a later date.

Arrangements under the direction of Mount Vernon Memorial Park & Mortuary, Fair Oaks, CA.