William Pennington

William "Bill" Pennington, 89 of Nevis, MN passed into eternal life on Friday, October 4th, 2013. He was born March 21, 1924, the son of Herschel and Ethel (Stough) Pennington in Wichita, Kansas.
He enlisted and served in the U. S. Navy for 15 years. Bill served on the USS Guadalcanal during the historic Atlantic battle and capture of the German U-505 submarine. Bill took part in feats of seamanship never before seen in the U.S. Navy with the USS Guadalcanal having been awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and two battle stars.

He was united in marriage to Mary Fox on April 6th, 1946. This marriage was blessed with twin daughters, Gay and Gail. Mary passed away in 1992 after a long battle with cancer.

His career in the home construction industry then began in Wichita, Kansas. After moving to Akeley in 1953, he continued in home construction and subsequently became a millwright working in Minneapolis until his retirement.

At the early age of 8 years, Bill became an avid sportsman in raising, training and racing pigeons. He became known as "Wild Bill" by his many friends in pigeon racing while his lifelong love of this sport enriched his life with many valued friendships across the country. In his retirement he also enjoyed building unique birdhouses, gardening, traveling, spending winters in his Texas home and spending time with family and friends.

Bill was united in marriage to DeLoris Golberg on June 25th, 1995, bringing 3 stepchildren, Talaine, Jeffrey and Scott to this union. He was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church of Akeley, Akeley VFW, numerous pigeon clubs and former member of the Akeley Lions Club. Bill dearly loved his grandchildren and great grandchildren and spending time with them.

He is survived by his wife, DeLoris of Nevis; daughters Gay (Frank) Garcia of Wichita, Kansas and Gail Buck of Minneapolis; siblings, Donald, Albert, Howard, Wanda and Beverly; 3 stepchildren, 13 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Herschel and Ethel; 3 brothers, Richard, Victor and Herschel, Jr. and sister, Juanita Fox.

A memorial service will be held at 2 PM on Saturday, Oct. 19, at St. John's Lutheran Church, Akeley.