Kathaleen Pennoni Feaster

Kathaleen (Kathy) Pennoni Feaster, 92, of Lansing, MI, beloved mother of seven boys, passed away peacefully on April 17th. The family would like to thank Delta Retirement Center and Abagail Hospice for the care and compassion they showed in her final days.

Kathy was born in Alpena, MI in 1933. At an early age, she moved with her family to L’Anse, a small town in the Upper Peninsula. She spent most of her childhood there, and in her teens worked at her family’s tavern. She attended L’Anse High School, and was an honor student and active in the school’s band and orchestra, and 4-H leadership.

Kathy was a devoted mother to her sons. She and her husband Frank Pennoni said they always wanted a daughter, so they kept on trying, and eventually had seven sons. They joked that they had enough boys for a basketball team but not enough for a baseball team. She tells a story of how when she first became pregnant, she told Frank while in their car parking lot, and he was so excited that he backed into another car.

Because the Lansing Public Schools were educating her seven boys, she wanted to give something back. She was active at her boy’s school, Elmhurst Elementary, and was elected as PTA president. Later, she was PTA president of the school district.

Kathy was a fighter for equality. She was elected to a seat on the Lansing Board of Education during the time of segregated schools, where she strongly advocated for school integration. Due to the poor condition of inner-city Michigan Avenue Elementary School, she was a promoter of replacing it with a new school, Riddle Elementary, which opened in 1976. She was also instrumental in leading successful millage campaigns for the Lansing Public Schools.

After Kathy and Frank divorced, Kathy founded a consulting firm. She worked with school districts across Michigan to create operating millage and new building construction campaigns. Her unique campaign methodology resulted in a very high campaign success rate.

Kathy married her second husband Robert (Bob) Feaster in 1979. Bob also had seven children. Many of Kathy’s clients were school districts in the Upper Peninsula, and because she and Bob loved the UP so much, they built a beautiful house on Lake Michigan near Menominee. She lived there until Bob’s passing, and Kathy then moved back to Lansing, where she continued working with school districts until she retired.

Kathy was preceded in death by Frank Pennoni in 1977, Robert (Bob) Feaster in 1997, and her second son Joseph Pennoni in 2018. She is survived by her sons Martin (Georgia), Lawrence, Michael (DeAnn), Robert, Frank (Julie), and James (Brandi) Pennoni, ten grandchildren, and numerous great and great-great grandchildren.

Viewing and services will be held at the Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home, 900 E Michigan Ave, Lansing, on Saturday, April 25th. The viewing will take place at 1:00 pm, with services following at 2:00 pm.