William "Bill" Hugh Penewit's Obituary
William Hugh Penewit, Sr. passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on January 19, 2016 in Atlanta, Ga. Bill was born on October 27, 1925 in Spring Valley, Ohio, the son of John Raymond and Ruth May (Graf) Penewit. Bill is survived by his soul mate and loving wife of 66 years, Mary V. (Mail) Penewit and his daughter, Sandra P. Lorimer and husband Malcolm T. Lorimer of Dunwoody, GA and son, William H. Penewit, Jr. and wife Linda Penewit of Dallas/Fort Worth, TX. He was the loving and proud Granddaddy of six grandchildren, Andrew (Melissa), Adam, Ben (Elizabeth), Bill III, Josiah (Joy) and Nikol and four great grandchildren Mia, William, Luke, Anslee and a fifth great grandbaby due in April. He was also a loving granddaddy to two step-grandchildren, Chris (Pamela) and Mindy (Steven) and great grandchildren, Logan, Dillon and Daphne.
Bill was inducted as a charter member into the Bellbrook High School Hall of Fame in 2007. He graduated from Bellbrook High School in 1943 and was the first Bellbrook High School Marching Band Drum Major. He lettered four years in band and 2 years in basketball. After graduation he attended Miami Jacobs Business School.
Bill and his brother J.C. owned and operated Penewit Hardware, founded by their father J.R. in 1925, for 40 years. In the year 2000 the Penewit Family celebrated 75 years in business in Bellbrook and was also recognized as the oldest hardware store in Greene County.
Bill was a proud member of the Bellbrook Lions Club for over 68 years. At the time of his death he was the only remaining charter member of the club. He served as president in 1964-65. He received the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award in 1994 and also received the Dick Bryan Fellows Award and the Master Builder’s Award. He served as District Cabinet Secretary for District 13J. He was the beloved Ham and Blanket wheel spinner along with his wife since the first Lions Club Festival in 1948. Bill was honored in 2015 with the naming of the Bellbrook Lions Club meeting facility as The William “Bill” Penewit Lions Center.He and Mary volunteered at the Bonita Springs, FL Lions Club Thrift Store when they wintered in FL. He was honored as Volunteer of the Year at that club in 2013. In 1966 Bill was the recipient of the Bellbrook Citizen of the Year Award and also that year was the General Chairman of the Bellbrook Sesquicentennial. He also served on the Advisory Board of Key Bank, Greene County for many years. He was a member of the Bellbrook Historical Society and a past President of the Ohio Hardware Association for Greene County.He is a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Kettering where he served as a reader and server on Sunday mornings.Bill will be missed but fondly remembered as one of the true gentlemen of Bellbrook. In memory of Bill, contributions can be made to the Bellbrook Lions Club, P.O. Box 111, Bellbrook, OH 45305 or the Bellbrook High School Marching Band (envelopes available at CONNER & KOCH).
You are invited to attend a life celebration visitation Friday night from 5-8 pm at CONNER & KOCH Life Celebration Home, 92 W. Franklin St., Bellbrook (937-848-6651). Life celebration services will continue at Emmanuel Lutheran Church on Saturday at 11:00 am with Rev. Mark Carlson officiating. Interment will follow at Bellbrook Cemetery. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.ConnerAndKoch.com by clicking on his name.
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