March 8, 1935 – May 31, 2020
Al passed away peacefully at his Pinecrest home in Kenora early Sunday morning, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease (and the loss of his driver’s license).
Al was born in Steinbach, Manitoba to Emil and Margaret Penner, who predeceased him. Also predeceased by his wife of nearly 50 years, Carol, and their daughter Lisa. Al is survived by Todd (Bev) of Kenora/Sioux Narrows and Kurt (Rosemarie) of Gibsons BC; grandchildren Drew (Los Angeles, CA), Melissa (Sam) (Vancouver), Rebecca (Joe) Reinke (St Paul, MN), and Terry (Austin, TX); brothers Mart (Glenna), Barry (Helga), Kirby (Pat), and sister Iris (Mark) Kimberley. Al and Carol were blessed over the years with many great friends in Minnesota, Ear Falls, Dryden, Sioux Narrows, Kenora, Florida and Steinbach.
A man of action all his life, Al left school in grade nine to work with the family lumber business in Red Lake Road, Ontario. He learned many skills over the years, becoming a jack of all trades which served him well especially in business later.
At age 18, Al committed to follow Jesus Christ. His faith showed up in many decisions throughout his life, including his involvement in youth ministry, musical outreach, and volunteering his time to operate heavy equipment for Young Life’s Rockridge Canyon (BC), Wycliffe Translators (Florida), and many years for Barnabas Family Ministries on Keats Island in BC. He believed a life of faith was not contradictory to fun and adventure; he appreciated Young Life’s saying, “It’s a sin to bore a kid with the gospel.”
Al was passionate about playing sports most of his life, first baseball, then hockey. Although his junior hockey career was cut short due to injury, he loved playing hockey and deeply missed playing with his old timer teammates when knee surgeries meant he had to retire at age 68. He may well be on a breakaway now, or looking to send that perfect pass.
Al demonstrated his tenaciousness when he applied as a mature student for admission to Bethel College in St Paul, Minnesota. Although he claimed to have been on academic probation most of his time there, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education. Al also met his sweetheart Carol at Bethel, where they fell in love and got married in 1960, the year before they graduated. They both began their careers teaching in Minnesota and soon after, their three kids came along. Sadly, their daughter Lisa was lost to leukemia at age 6 – one of the hardest challenges they faced in life.
After a stint as sawmill manager for the family business in Ear Falls and a desk job in Dryden (not his favourite role), Al and Carol purchased a heavy equipment contracting business in Sioux Narrows which became Penner Contracting, operating from 1971 to 1998. Al and Carol had fallen in love with the Sioux Narrows area and purchased cottage property in 1963, moving there full time in 1972. Al (and brother Kirby) built many cottage roads and septic fields in the area, with Carol doing the books and the boys helping in summers. Al loved sharing outings on Lake of the Woods, especially on a houseboat he built.
Among Al’s community contributions in Sioux Narrows, one that stands out for many was his energetic way of leading the singing at the Lake of the Woods Chapel, with Carol playing piano. He also sang for community events as part of the World’s Longest Single Span Wooden Bridge Gang, or the ‘Bridge Gang’ for short – Al, Carol and Woody Linton. Al put a lot of creative effort into those performances.
After retiring from the business, Al and Carol spent part of many winters in Winter Haven, Florida, involving themselves in the community, golfing and traveling. The 2010 loss of Carol to cancer hit Al hard, and he struggled with the degeneration of his Parkinson’s disease and associated losses of independence. He returned to Steinbach (Bridgepark Manor) in 2013, then transitioned in 2017 to Kenora’s Pinecrest Care Home when he could no longer live on his own. Al spent as much time as possible in any form of banter with staff and visitors, writing his memoirs, and having weekly dominoes ‘tournaments’ with faithful friend Will Burke—according to Al’s special rules.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Pinecrest for all the loving care they provided for Al these last few years, and are sending a big ‘Al Penner hug.’ He is now free to drive his heavenly golf cart at any speed he likes. The family are also grateful to special friends who visited Al in his final years at Pinecrest.
A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date when gatherings are possible. In lieu of flowers, donations to Barnabas Family Ministries (www.barnabasfm.org) or the Pinecrest Auxiliary in Al’s memory would be appreciated by the family.
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