Paul Thomas Penn

Paul Penn died on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 of complications from Alzheimer’s disease. Paul was born on July 26th, 1925 in Lexington, KY to Stanley and Georgia Penn.
Paul was preceded in death by his parents, his son Matthew, and his brothers Robert, George, and John. He is survived by his wife Elisabeth; his daughter Paula; his nephew Bobby Penn, whom he was very fond of; and several nieces.
After graduating from high school in Lexington, Paul went to the Bolles Military Academy in Jacksonville, FL. In 1945, he joined the Navy as a Gunner’s Mate in the Pacific where he experienced the invasion at Okinawa. After the war, Paul and his 3 brothers worked in the family business, Stanley Penn and Sons, Inc., a hay and grain company in Lexington. Over the next few years the brothers opened Penn Feed Company in New York, Florida, and New Jersey.
Paul’s leisure time was mostly spent on the golf course. Being of a competitive nature and with a good amount of ambition, he became Club Champion at the Garden City Country Club in New York and at the Country Club of Miami. Paul’s other enjoyment was listening and dancing to Big band music. At parties, he would often dance the night away. He also has fond memories of the many vacations to Europe, Australia, and New Zealand with his favorite traveling companion, Elisabeth.
After retiring to Asheville, Paul took up yet another interest; he became an avid gardener, planting and designing flower beds, staking tomato plants, and attaching trellises for climbing roses. The garden became the envy of neighbors. Paul was a member of the Rotary Club of Asheville. He was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation of Rotary, International. He was also a member of the Biltmore Forest Country Club.
Paul will be remembered for his compassion and generosity for the less fortunate, his humor and sunny disposition and his never-ending energy, but mostly for his zest for life. He will be missed by his loving family, by many friends and by his little furry companions, Oliver and Katja.
A private graveside service will be held at a later date in Paris, Kentucky.
We want to thank the wonderful staff of Brookdale Walden Ridge, especially Allison Bridges, RN and “JR” Lloyd Cureton, Jr. for caring for Paul with kindness and compassion since July.