February 16, 1944 – April 20, 2012
Dorothy Penner, a life-long resident of Merced, passed away peacefully at home on April 20, 2012 at the age of 68 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. She personified everything good in the world: love, kindness, loyalty, faith, optimism, endurance, strength, and honesty. She was deeply loved by a large family and circle of friends. She will be greatly missed.
Dorothy was born to the late Glenn and Dorothy Davis and was raised in Planada, California. She was the ninth child of ten, and the youngest sister in the family. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Verne Davis, Don Davis and Roy Davis, her sister Jackie Davis, and her nephew Rick Oules, whom she considered a brother. She is survived by a large family, her loving daughter Jennifer McBride, devoted son-in-law Scott McBride, and two adoring grandchildren, Gwynne and Erin McBride. She will be forever missed by her surviving siblings and their spouses, Patsy Doughty, Sheri Turner (Jim Turner), Lyle Davis (Betty Davis), Joe Davis (Shirley Davis), and Gayle Rowe (Lynn Rowe), and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Dorothy loved her family more than anything. She was a devoted daughter, mother, grandmother, sister, and aunt.
Dorothy had an especially close relationship with her mother. The family likes to tell the story of Dorothy’s first day of school at Planada Elementary School. As a child, she was a very shy girl who stayed next to her mother’s side always. On the first day of school, Dorothy’s mother walked her to the school house, while Dorothy clung to her leg crying because she didn’t want to leave her. Her mother stayed outside the classroom door all day in case Dorothy tried to sneak out and go back home to her. The family has always fondly remembered this story, especially her siblings who called her their “baby” sister. This close relationship with her mother lasted through her entire life. She was a devoted daughter, who brought her mother to live with her when she became ill and cared for her until she passed away. It was Dorothy’s final wishes to be interred with her mother at the Plainsburg Cemetery.
After Dorothy became confident enough to leave her mother each day, she excelled in school and became a very active student, participating in many school organizations and on sports teams. Dorothy graduated from Le Grand High School, class of 1961, and Fresno City College, class of 1963. She was a majorette for the Le Grand High School band and played women’s fast pitch softball for many years as a catcher, coached by her father. She played for the Wallace Truckettes and the Chevronettes, teams in the Merced County Women’s Softball League. She spoke often of the year they won the county championships. At Fresno City College, she and her partner played on the badminton team and were named intermural champions. Her passion for sports continued throughout her life. She was particularly proud of the recognition her father received with the building of the Glenn Davis Memorial Ballpark in Planada. She bowled in league play for many years, she enjoyed spending time with her family watching college and professional sports, and recently she took great pride watching her granddaughters compete on their swim, volleyball, and water polo teams.
Dorothy began her professional career as a legal secretary for the law office of Kane and Canelo for ten years. She moved into a clerical position for the City of Merced for one year, then worked for the Merced City School District for one year. She decided to return to the City of Merced, where she enjoyed a long career, working as the City Clerk and Director of Support Services. Dorothy’s duties included negotiating contracts with city employee unions, coordinating personnel decisions, and preparing city council agendas. As the sole woman working in executive administration, she served as a role model to women working in local government and all public servants. She retired in 2003 after 33 years of service to the City of Merced. Through six city managers, 12 mayors, 44 council members, and six indexing systems, Dorothy held the post longer than anyone in Merced’s 116-year history. The Merced Sun-Star declared her “Merced’s heart and soul.” She loved her job and her co-workers. She demonstrated a tireless work ethic, staid professionalism, and meticulous professionalism.
After her retirement, Dorothy became a member of the Native Daughters of the Golden West, Veritas Parlor, serving as recording secretary. She adored her Native Daughter “sisters” and devoted a tremendous amount of time to the well being of her parlor.
Dorothy will never be forgotten. Her enthusiasm for life, family, and work will remain in our hearts forever. The family wishes to thank Dr. George Poulticides and his team of doctors and nurses at Stanford University for their care and treatment of Dorothy which allowed Dorothy to have more time with her loved ones. We would also like to thank Dr. Imitaz Malik and his team at the El Portal Cancer Institute for their loving natures during Dorothy’s battle, and Suki Lesher, RN, who made house visits and provided soothing reassurance. We express our deepest gratitude to Hinds Hospice. Wendy, Mandy, Nancy, David, and the on-call nurses showed Dorothy and her family beautiful kindness and warmth, offering a tremendous amount of comfort and support during this most difficult time.
Services will be held Thursday, April 26th at 11:00 am at the United Methodist Church, 899 Yosemite Parkway, Merced, California, under the direction of Stratford Evans funeral home, followed by a memorial lunch at noon at the church. Graveside services will follow at 1:30 pm at Plainsburg Cemetery.
To honor Dorothy’s life, it is our simple wish that you love your family and friends and cherish life every day, with all of your heart, as Dorothy did.
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