William PENN

William Darrell Penn
October 28, 1922 - July 14, 2016
Bill Penn passed away peacefully at St. Paul's Hospital after a very short illness on July 14, 2016. He managed to attain his goal of living in his own home until the end of his life. He was predeceased by his wife Elaine May Penn, his parents Dora and Harry, and his brother Bruce. He is survived by his children Connie, Don, Scott, John (Phylis Fowler), Steven (Theresa Germain), Todd (Bethany Gusikoski), and Catherine (Kevin Summach); as well as his grandchildren Robert and Sean Penn, Sterling and Venetia Summach; and his cousin Ivan Penn. He was born in Moose Jaw in the Roaring Twenties and survived a childhood in Saskatchewan during the Depression that formed the basis of his character and personality. He was an independent, resilient, creative, and single- minded individual. A brilliant student, he graduated from Central Collegiate with the Governor General's Academic Award and entered the U of S Engineering Program at the age of 17. Enlistment in the Army delayed his education and he received his Masters Degree in Physics in 1948. He married his university sweetheart Elaine Norman and went on to raise 7 healthy children. In the mid 1950s he opened Penn TV and Auto Radio in Saskatoon, and was one of the early pioneers in the business. He then returned to Moose Jaw to teach Electronics at STI from 1968-1970. While there, he and Elaine started collecting antiques that would lead them back to Saskatoon to start Penn's Antiques, which is still in business today. In his retirement, he became an avid gardener, reader, and traveller with his wife. He also spent time at the family cabin in Wakaw Lake. Bill was a regular patron of Marquis Downs and he enjoyed feeding the ponies (lots of confetti!). He was a Cubs, Maple Leafs, and Roughriders fan his entire life. He enjoyed sports very much. Bill's Graveside Interment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery on Friday, October 7, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. No flowers, please. Donations to the Canadian Diabetes Association of Canada would be appreciated.