He was born December 15, 1924 in El Paso, Texas, son of Percy A. and Jeanette Penley. He lived much of his early life with his mother, brother Howard, and loving grandparents, Anton and Mary Evelyn Faller. His college studies at the University of Texas at El Paso were interrupted when he entered the U.S. Army in 1943. On June 23, 1944 he married his true love, Betty Blanche Garner, and in November was sent to the European Theater of Operations. He served in Northern France and also in the Army of Occupation in Bad Gastein, Austria. Returning home following the war, he resumed studies at the University of Texas at Austin. P.A. was inducted into Tau Beta Pi, National Honorary Engineering Society as well as Pi Tau Sigma, National Honorary Mechanical Engineering Society.
He had a varied and rewarding career of thirty-five years with the Celanese Corporation of America serving in the Chemical Division, Plastics Division, Agricultural Products Division, and Corporate Headquarters. Following retirement, he became a volunteer for the International Executive Service Corps spending four months in Ecuador. P.A. was an enthusiastic tennis player and golfer.
Many happy years were spent in retirement in Lakeway, Texas where he served on the City Building Committee and on the Lakeway Municipal Utility District Board as a Director for over a decade. He was elected to the Board of the Lakeway Civic Corporation. In 2000 he received the Volunteer of the Year Award, and in 2006 he received the Citizen of the Year Award. He enjoyed working on the Lake Travis District Library site acquisition committee and seeing the new Library being built.
Because of their relocations, P.A. and Betty became members of many Methodist Churches, always serving as needed. Longtime members of the Lakeway Church, P.A. served on the Church Board, on various committees, and as a Sunday School teacher. P.A. and Betty moved to the Longhorn Village Continuous Care retirement community in 2010.
P.A.’s grandparents, parents, and brother Howard preceded him in death. He is survived by wife Betty, his daughter Janet Carol Penley, his son Stephen Garner Penley and wife Patricia, granddaughter Roxanne Childers and husband Scott, granddaughter Brooke Meris and husband Lyndon, grandson Mark Boomgaarden and wife Samantha, great grandchildren Pamela Childers, Abigail and Paige Boomgaarden and Sloan Meris, nephew Howard Penley, Jr. and wife Julie, niece Dr. Leslie Penley and niece Vikki Thompson.
A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at 2:00 pm on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at the Lakeway Church, 2203 Lakeway Blvd. in Lakeway, Texas.
P.A.’s wish was any memorial gift be made to the Missions Ministry of the Lakeway Church or a favorite charity.
