Lloyd A. Penley

LLOYD ADAM PENLEY ASHEVILLE – Lloyd Adam Penley, 101, of Candler, passed away Monday, October 11, 2010, at Pisgah Manor. A native of Buncombe Co., Mr. Penley was a son of the late Elwin Lloyd Penley and Dora Gillespie Penley. He was preceded in death by his wife of 74 years, Laura Fulton Penley; daughter Patricia Lowe Ballard and her husband, Carroll K. Ballard; son-in-law Burgin Alexander Patton; brother E.R. Penley; sister Elizabeth Penley; and an infant grandson, Leonard Carl Crook, Jr. Mr. Penley retired from American Enka Corp. after 43 years of service as a supervisor in the Nylon Sorting and Packing Department. He was a member of Francis Asbury United Methodist Church, where he served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and as choir director. He was also a Mason. Mr. Penley was the oldest living alumnus of Warren Wilson College, formerly known as Asheville Farm School, where his strong service orientation and farming skills were taught at an early age. This year he was chosen Person of the Week by WLOS for his charitable spirit towards the Community Foundation of WNC, which included significant support for Field of Hope, providing food for the hungry in WNC; Summer Time Kids, summer camps for underserved children; and Las Champeras de Millas home for the needy in Honduras. He is survived by three daughters, Sandra Louise Purcell and her husband, Robert W. Purcell, Sr., of Brevard, Phyllis Ann Patton of Asheville, and Veronica Susan Crook and her husband, Leonard C. Crook, of Biltmore Lake; special nephew Michael M. Bogle, and his wife, Peta M. Landman, of Australia; 12 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren. A service celebrating Mr. Penley’s life will be at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 21, 2010, at Francis Asbury United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Fred Carpenter officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the church. The family wishes to express a special thank you to his Pisgah Manor extended family for all the love and care they gave him. Memorials can be made to the Community Foundation of WNC, PO Box 1888, Asheville, NC, 28802, and/or to Francis Asbury United Methodist Church, PO Box 67, Candler, NC, 28715. Groce Funeral Home on Patton Avenue is assisting the family.