We were trying to listen to Penny's services but our speakers are so bad that we could hardly hear what was being said. (That gives us good reason to finally go out and buy some new ones.)
It must have been Tracy giving the eulogy. Didn't hear it all but the first part gave the perfect description of sweet Penny. So, don't know what to add to it. Our own personal comments would be just the same. We can't remember when Penny wasn't smiling, loving, and welcoming. We always felt special around her. She had that quality to make people feel comfortable.
We appreciate the life she lived and the way she lived it. She was a great example to us all. We're just so sorry that her past few years, months, and days were not all that wonderful healthwise. She deserved better in our eyes. But Heavenly Father knew what she could bear...yet another example to us.
We will always remember Penny Cherry as a bright spot in our lives.
Bob and Pat Jensen
Monday, November 19, 2007
Thoughts from Joe & Julie Lindsey
As personalities go, Penny was extremely outgoing and talented. It was just fun to be around her. There is a group of "older" couples in the ward who periodically get together for a game night; typically dominoes. We were playing Mexican Train on one of those nights. Penny was there on her scooter and having a grand time. Everyone but Penny was there to play. She was there to have fun and tell stories. She kiddingly told us we needed to lighten up. She proceeded to tell us stories about her adventures on her scooter... like when she inadvertently bounced it down the stairs while she was on it at Stanford Hospital. We kept having to remind here when it was her turn. She would laugh at her not being able to concentrate and then tell more stories. Who knows or cares who really won the game that night. The best part was that Penny was having a wonderful time and enjoying life in spite of her situation. Her love for life brightened an otherwise droll night.
We love you, Penny. Prepare a place for us all to come see you again.
Joe & Julie Lindsey
We love you, Penny. Prepare a place for us all to come see you again.
Joe & Julie Lindsey
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Penny's Memorial Service
Here is the audio recording of Penny's memorial service. It was a beautiful service and went very well. Emotions were strong but those who spoke were able to make it through their remarks very well. There were so many wonderful stories that were shared. We loved the funny stories and took comfort in the many fond memories of her kind and loving nature. She will be missed greatly. The service also helped us to recognize that she is happy and comfortable and that the Lord is mindful of her and us. Thanks to the Savior we will be together again and our bodies will be made perfect through the glorious resurrection. What a wonderful blessing of peace and comfort the Gospel brings. Especially during this time of sadness we are all so grateful for the peace that the Spirit brings.
http://www.divshare.com/download/7535909-9db
http://www.divshare.com/download/7535909-9db
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Great loss for all
Hello All,
Evening comes and our thoughts are to the Cherry family. It doesn't seem possible that Penny is no longer with us. We just are so used to all of our brothers and sisters in our Ward and while it is expected that as we all get older, we will go one by one, it is quite another matter when one of us who is still young and is called home.
The following picture is how we remember Penny and we want Steve and the family to know that our hearts go out to them at this difficult time.
Even though Penny had to use that scooter, she still had fun as can be seen at a Ward Picnic. This wasn't just a static picture. Penny drove them all around the park on her scooter. She and the scooter defied the law of gravity, even with 5 on board! Nobody wanted to get off after a long ride!
When those of us older than Penny think this through, we don't know how it is possible that we can live as long as we do. We just kind of think all will do the same. This is a reminder of how frail this life is and how careful we need to be to cherish the time we all have together here as members of the Church.
May the great faith of the Cherry family help them through the rest of this life and may we all look forward to seeing Penny when we meet again in our eternal homes.
Bill and Elisabeth Thomas and Family
Evening comes and our thoughts are to the Cherry family. It doesn't seem possible that Penny is no longer with us. We just are so used to all of our brothers and sisters in our Ward and while it is expected that as we all get older, we will go one by one, it is quite another matter when one of us who is still young and is called home.
The following picture is how we remember Penny and we want Steve and the family to know that our hearts go out to them at this difficult time.
Even though Penny had to use that scooter, she still had fun as can be seen at a Ward Picnic. This wasn't just a static picture. Penny drove them all around the park on her scooter. She and the scooter defied the law of gravity, even with 5 on board! Nobody wanted to get off after a long ride!
When those of us older than Penny think this through, we don't know how it is possible that we can live as long as we do. We just kind of think all will do the same. This is a reminder of how frail this life is and how careful we need to be to cherish the time we all have together here as members of the Church.
May the great faith of the Cherry family help them through the rest of this life and may we all look forward to seeing Penny when we meet again in our eternal homes.
Bill and Elisabeth Thomas and Family
Friday, November 9, 2007
A letter from Tracy Felt (Penny's sister)
Dear Family,
I called the Cherry home and had a chance to speak with Sue, Penny's dear friend and next-door neighbor. She told me the most amazing story about Penny's "pizza party" last night. I had to share as many of the details with you as I can remember, because they are every whit exemplary of Penny's loving nature and joyful spirit.
Yesterday Penny was feeling a bit better and asked Tracy to call as many as possible and invite them to join her in her hospital room that evening for a pizza party. Penny listed what she would most like to have, so Sue purchased 5 pizzas (sausage/ pepperoni/ mushroom pizza and tomato & basil pizza), ice cream, and pumpkin pie. They even had balloons! Sue brought plates, cups and "Happy Birthday" napkins, because they wanted to think of it as celebrating a "new birth." When Sue arrived with the pizzas, Penny asked, "Did you bring any dominoes?" (It's probably just as well that Sue hadn't, because the last thing Nikki & I did with Penny before driving off to Costa Mesa was play "Spinner" dominoes with her, Kristi and Christy. Penny finished with a perfect score of "0" -- So how do you top that?)
The room was crowded with at least 20 family members, grandkids and friends. Mike & Natalie flew in, Tracy was there with her babies, Kristi & Jason drove up with their children, and Steve's sisters Donna, Kathy, and Becky came. Sue & Jerry and their daughter Alicia were there, as well as Sue's parents. There were lots of phone calls made. The hospital set up a "poly com" line for Penny so that she could speak to family and friends on a speaker phone. They even called Ecuador and talked briefly with their good friends Lynn & Almadon Shurtleff.
Penny asked for some Primary songs, so Kristi & Tracy sang and Penny joined in, singing "I Am a Child of God." Then in honor of Mom/Grammy, they all sang "I Love You, a Bushel and a Peck," and then Steve started singing "You Are My Sunshine" with nearly everyone joining in. Allie & Ben put on a little performance for their Grandma, singing a couple of songs, including a cute Halloween number. Penny spoke with each visitor directly, sharing her feelings of love for them, and--as you can imagine--she had lots of hugs and kisses for all the babies. Everyone shared fun stories and memories, and Penny even related one of her "most embarrassing moments" from high school (involving a Sponsors inspection and a famous slip on the ice in front of a chemistry class window).
What could be more genuinely "Penny" than to have such a delightful gathering of family and friends filled with songs, laughter, smiles, ice cream, and expressions of love all around!
After speaking with Sue, I spent a little while visiting with Kristi and she related some very precious stories of this morning spent with just parents and siblings together. I can't begin to relate them all here, but there are a few I'm sure you would like to know. Penny would frequently doze off, and before coming to, she would giggle. The immediate family members who were able to be there gathered around her bed for a family prayer, and as soon as it was said, Penny began to giggle, opened her eyes and exclaimed, "Now that's an image I don't want to share!" and everyone broke into laughter. What was the image? Well, that remains to be discovered in the next life...
Penny told her husband and her children, "I feel so at peace, so happy." She told Steve, "I don't think I could ever love you enough" and "I'm so glad I share your name." Then as her strength was fading, and she was dozing off, she opened her eyes, and one of the last things she uttered was, "It's Wonderful!"
Like you, I honor this amazing woman who has shown us how to exit this life with joy, dignity, and grace, and has helped us to understand that the transition into the next world can be filled with calm delight.
Much love,
Tracy
I called the Cherry home and had a chance to speak with Sue, Penny's dear friend and next-door neighbor. She told me the most amazing story about Penny's "pizza party" last night. I had to share as many of the details with you as I can remember, because they are every whit exemplary of Penny's loving nature and joyful spirit.
Yesterday Penny was feeling a bit better and asked Tracy to call as many as possible and invite them to join her in her hospital room that evening for a pizza party. Penny listed what she would most like to have, so Sue purchased 5 pizzas (sausage/ pepperoni/ mushroom pizza and tomato & basil pizza), ice cream, and pumpkin pie. They even had balloons! Sue brought plates, cups and "Happy Birthday" napkins, because they wanted to think of it as celebrating a "new birth." When Sue arrived with the pizzas, Penny asked, "Did you bring any dominoes?" (It's probably just as well that Sue hadn't, because the last thing Nikki & I did with Penny before driving off to Costa Mesa was play "Spinner" dominoes with her, Kristi and Christy. Penny finished with a perfect score of "0" -- So how do you top that?)
The room was crowded with at least 20 family members, grandkids and friends. Mike & Natalie flew in, Tracy was there with her babies, Kristi & Jason drove up with their children, and Steve's sisters Donna, Kathy, and Becky came. Sue & Jerry and their daughter Alicia were there, as well as Sue's parents. There were lots of phone calls made. The hospital set up a "poly com" line for Penny so that she could speak to family and friends on a speaker phone. They even called Ecuador and talked briefly with their good friends Lynn & Almadon Shurtleff.
Penny asked for some Primary songs, so Kristi & Tracy sang and Penny joined in, singing "I Am a Child of God." Then in honor of Mom/Grammy, they all sang "I Love You, a Bushel and a Peck," and then Steve started singing "You Are My Sunshine" with nearly everyone joining in. Allie & Ben put on a little performance for their Grandma, singing a couple of songs, including a cute Halloween number. Penny spoke with each visitor directly, sharing her feelings of love for them, and--as you can imagine--she had lots of hugs and kisses for all the babies. Everyone shared fun stories and memories, and Penny even related one of her "most embarrassing moments" from high school (involving a Sponsors inspection and a famous slip on the ice in front of a chemistry class window).
What could be more genuinely "Penny" than to have such a delightful gathering of family and friends filled with songs, laughter, smiles, ice cream, and expressions of love all around!
After speaking with Sue, I spent a little while visiting with Kristi and she related some very precious stories of this morning spent with just parents and siblings together. I can't begin to relate them all here, but there are a few I'm sure you would like to know. Penny would frequently doze off, and before coming to, she would giggle. The immediate family members who were able to be there gathered around her bed for a family prayer, and as soon as it was said, Penny began to giggle, opened her eyes and exclaimed, "Now that's an image I don't want to share!" and everyone broke into laughter. What was the image? Well, that remains to be discovered in the next life...
Penny told her husband and her children, "I feel so at peace, so happy." She told Steve, "I don't think I could ever love you enough" and "I'm so glad I share your name." Then as her strength was fading, and she was dozing off, she opened her eyes, and one of the last things she uttered was, "It's Wonderful!"
Like you, I honor this amazing woman who has shown us how to exit this life with joy, dignity, and grace, and has helped us to understand that the transition into the next world can be filled with calm delight.
Much love,
Tracy
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