David Dwayne Penley

1976 - 2022

David Dwayne Penley
July 21, 1976 - June 6, 2022
Rock Hill, South Carolina - David Dwayne Penley passed away on June 6, 2022, surrounded by family and friends at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, SC., at the age of 45. Dave was born to the late Donna Mae Black Penley and David Earnest Penley on July 21, 1976 in Crossnore, NC.
Dave was preceded in death by his mother and grandparents. Left to remember him are the partner of 14 years he called his wife, Laura Burgess of Rock Hill, SC; father and stepmother, David and Mary Penley of Taylorsville, NC; brother, Thomas "Tommy" Penley and wife, Amanda of Taylorsville; his sister, Brooke Penley of Boone, NC; his sister, Seleste Penley of Asheville, NC; his first stepmother (raised him from age 11) whom he called "Mom", Mary McKinney of Boone, NC; his stepdaughter, Savannah Johnson and her children, Alice and Katalina, of Sumter, SC; his stepson, Andrew Burgess and partner Briana Jones of Gaffney, SC, and their children, Grayson, Josiah, and Samuel; nieces Savannah Rocket and Kiami Penley of Taylorsville, NC; aunts Diane Penley of Spruce Pine, NC, Carolyn Sellers of Bryson City, NC, and Barbara Royal of West Jefferson, NC; stepbrothers Jamie of Shelby, SC, Richie and Doug of Hickory, NC.; and many cousins and friends.
David was known to most of his NC family as "Dave" or "Little David"; to his sisters as "Bubba"; to his SC family and friends as David; to his stepchildren, step-grandchildren, and "adopted" [chosen] son, Cole Walters as "Pops"; and to his "adopted" son and daughter, Andre and Lisa McRae, as "Papa." He cherished the names that were chosen for him. He loved being outdoors and gathering with family and friends, especially to share laughter and teasing. Dave worked in lawn care for many years and valued hard work. Dave attended Mitchell High School in Bakersville, NC.
Dave's adult life was marked by addiction that resulted in his death from alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. As with any disease, no one chooses addiction. As his sister, Seleste, wrote "Recovery is for everyone but not everyone gets it. Not everyone gets the resources, has the support for it… or even the awareness that they may need it." The disease of addiction always causes suffering for the person with the addiction as well as for the people who love that person. Dave knew he needed recovery and that the people around him needed him to recover. Hurt, depression, and the changes to his brain from this disease blocked him from believing he could have recovery and only allowed him to believe the lies of stigma, shame, and judgment about it.
Family and friends will honor his wish to return his ashes "to the mountains" that that he called home through most of his childhood and some of his adult life. Private family gatherings will be arranged to remember him and to honor these wishes that reflected his longing for peace.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Shatterproof in Dave's memory. Shatterproof seeks to help save lives by advocating for policy change, educating our communities, transforming addiction treatment, and shattering stigma.
https://fundraise.shatterproof.org/campaign/Remembering-Dave-Penley
If you suffer from addiction, please know there is help, including from one of these resources:
Alcoholics Anonymous [www.aa.org ]; Narcotics Anonymous [www.na.org] ; and Substance Abuse Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) [877-726-4727, www.samhsa.gov.]
If you love someone who suffers from addiction, please know there is help for you, including from Al-Anon [https://al-anon.org/].
If you have lost someone to addiction, please know there is help for you, including from GRASP - Grief Recovery After Substance Passing [grasphelp.org]