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Daniel C. Penner, a retired business owner, died February 3, 2010 of complications of cancer. He was at home surrounded by his family, The Albuquerque resident was 81. Born in Reedley, California, Dan was the third son of parents Cornelius and Tina Martens Penner. He was raised on a farm in the San Joaquin Valley, working from an early age in harvesting, pruning, and irrigating Thomson Seedless grapes and fruit trees. From childhood, he was an avid musician, playing trombone in school bands, and singing in church and school choirs. Dan was an excellent tennis player and ran track in High School. He attended Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas, where he met his wife, Martha Eitzen. They were married on September 9, 1950, at the Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church. Together they returned to California, where Dan worked in the gas business. He worked for Maple Leaf Enterprises in Wasco, CA for many years. In 1966 he moved his family to the Lake Tahoe area where he worked for Cal Gas, first as a service man and then as a propane outlet manager in Dixon, CA, and then in Truckee. Around 1980, Dan and Martha opened their own company, Truckee Heating and Sheet Metal. While in Truckee, he was active in Rotary, serving as president, and receiving the Paul Harris Fellow Award for service. He was involved in church music and local drama, and was a member of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America. A highlight of his life was being part of the quartet with son Douglas, in his senior high school musical, The Music Man. After retirement, Dan and his wife Martha moved to Albuquerque, where they lived for 17 years. Dan was active at Hope Evangelical Free Church where he served as a Deacon, and sang in the choir. He was also a member of the Young at Heart Choir, and became an avid artist (a hobby begun in the mid 1950's) painting in all mediums, but particularly enjoying water color. He was able to share his artistic gifts as a guest teacher at a nearby school. Dan is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Martha; two sons, Steven and his wife Loree of Monkton, Maryland, and Douglas and his wife Eileen Baca-Penner of Albuquerque; four grandchildren: Erin, of Albuquerque, Francesca, of Annapolis, MD., Avram, of New Orleans, LA., and David, of Monkton, MD. Siblings include Bill and Hilda Penner of Pinedale, CA, Bob of Richmond, CA, Marion and Chuck Jones of Pinedale, CA, Alice and Menno Isaac of Morro Bay, CA, and Barbara and Leo Langhofer of Fresno, CA. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, February 20, 2010 at Hope Evangelical Free church, 4710 Juan Tabo NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87111. Interment will be at Ebenfeld Cemetery in Hillsboro, Kansas at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Memorial Fund at Hope Evangelical Free Church, or to Samaritan's Purse Haiti Relief Fund, in memory of Dan Penner, P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607 or at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/Haiti_Donation/ Please visit our online guestbook at: http://danielpenner.blogspot.com
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