Henry Penner

Henry Penner, age 85, went to meet his Lord and Savior on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015 at the Swift Current Care Center. Henry is survived by Helen (nee Funk) his loving wife of sixty years; daughters: Marcia (Gary) Kort and Lavern Pratt; sons: Daryl Penner and Mike (Cathy) Penner; 8 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; siblings: Dave (Anne) Penner, Anne (Russ) Tymos, and Walter (Velma) Penner; and sister-in-law Jo Penner. He was predeceased by his parents Cornelius & Helena Penner; brothers: Cornelius, Peter, and John; sisters: Sarah, Katy and Helen; son-in-law Rick Chant; and granddaughter Elizabeth Pratt. Henry was born on October 31st, 1929, to Cornelius & Helena Penner at Rosenhof, Saskatchewan, the sixth of ten children. Henry attended Iris School near McMahon for grades 1 to 10. Grade 11 was taken at Caronport High School. After working for a year he took his grade 12 by correspondence at Falkland School in McMahon. He loved learning and especially excelled in math. He continued to enjoy using his abilities in math for farm accounting and providing bookkeeping assistance to various family members. Henry and Helen were married in 1954. They farmed in the McMahon area for forty years. During that time he was very active in the Mennonite Brethren Church in McMahon and later at Bridgeway Community Church in Swift Current. Through teaching Sunday School for thirty one years he had a very positive impact on the lives of many young people in the local church. After retiring from farming and moving to Swift Current, Henry was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease which slowly diminished his independence in the last years. Henry was a determined, quiet, hard-working man of integrity who had a strong commitment to discovering and following God’s will. He enjoyed his solitude watching the cattle in the pasture, overlooking the prairie hills. He also enjoyed curling, watching sports, and eating pie (of all kinds). A highlight in his life was his mission’s trip to Panama. His greatest desire in life was to see people come to know the Lord. He was a loving and generous husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, who was loved and respected by all of his family.

The Funeral Service was held on Saturday, April 11, 2015 at 2:00 pm from the Bridgeway Community Church, Swift Current, SK with Pastor Bob Cappelle officiating. The musicians for the service were Leanne McConnell and Sheila Braun. “When We All Get to Heaven”, “Blessed Assurance” and “It Is Well with My Soul” were sung by the congregation under the direction of John Redekop. Scripture was read from Psalm 103:13-18 by Gary Kort (son-in-law) with tributes shared by Dave Penner (brother) and Henry’s children and grandchildren. The ushers in the church were Richard Weetman, John Friesen, Marilyn Wall and Gerald Voth. The Interment Service preceded the Funeral Service and was held at the Hillcrest Cemetery, Swift Current, SK with the following grandchildren serving as pallbearers, Sandy Pratt, Nathaniel Pratt, Evan Pratt, Mirjana Synchena, James Kort and Andrew Kort.

 Service Information