Published by Greenwich Sentinel from Mar. 24 to Mar. 30, 2023.
RALPH PENNY OBITUARY
Ralph Everett Penny, 77, of Greenwich, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 10, at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NY with loved ones by his side. Ralph was born on September 15, 1945, in White Plains, NY, the son of the late Everett Joshua Penny and Helen Margaret Penny.
He is survived by his loving wife, Ann, his devoted stepdaughters Kristen Bozza and her husband, Larry Gellman and Kerry and her husband, Kurt Funkhouser; his older brother John (Janet) and his twin sister, Bonnie Verses. Additionally, he is survived by nieces Dana Schmidt (Mike), Lisa Hammell; Janet McNamara (Michael), Debbie James (Tom), Linda Kiggins (Tim), Elizabeth Lautrup (Drew); and nephews Bill Penny (Idiannia) and Hugh Seton. Ralph was preceded in death by his brother and sister-in-law William and Vivian.
Ralph graduated from Deerfield Academy (Deerfield, MA) in 1963. Majoring in History, he then earned his BA from Denison University (Granville, OH). In 1972, Ralph earned his MBA from Columbia Business School in NY.
After college, Ralph enlisted in the US Navy and was on active duty from 1967-1970. During that time, he went on two deployments to Vietnam. From 1990 to 1997 he was in the Naval Reserve Active Duty, serving on the USS Valdez and as Commanding Officer of the USS Boulder. Ralph honorably served in the Naval Reserve for 30 years, retiring as a Captain.
Over the years, Ralph’s volunteer commitments were varied and meaningful. To list just a few, he was President of the White Plains Rotary; Chair of the YMCA of Central and N. Westchester; Board Member of the Westchester College Foundation; President of Hitchcock Presbyterian Church, Scarsdale; Board Member of the Visiting Nurse Service of Westchester; led services as a Deacon at North Greenwich Congregational Church; and was District 11 Representative for the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting.
Life doesn’t offer many guarantees, except maybe for these: If music were playing, Ralph would be dancing, if people were gathering, Ralph would be mixing and mingling, if you needed a hug, he’d be hugging, if you needed an ice cream, he’d be buying, and if you needed a friend, he’d always be there!