David Penrod 1951-2019
David E. Penrod, 68, of Soldier, peacefully passed away on Monday, Sept. 30, 2019, at his home. He fought the good fight against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
David was born Sept. 20, 1951, in Horton. He received his education at Horton and Gridley public schools, graduating in 1969 from Gridley High School. David was baptized into the Christian faith at Gridley First Christian Church.
David entered the U.S. Navy upon high school graduation in 1969 and served until June 1973. He was a hospital corpsman stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and served as company corpsman with the 3rd Marines aboard the USS Manitowoc and USS Vernon County with the Seventh Fleet in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam. David said he always took care of his Marines.
He later served in the Kansas Army National Guard and completed Officer’s Candidate School in 1979. He received a bachelor of business administration, cum laude, in 1987 from Kansas Wesleyan University, Salina.
David retired from Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center as chief of prosthetics and orthotics service. He enjoyed serving veterans during his years of employment with the VA. He strongly advocated for all veterans and their families during his retirement and delighted in steering them toward their earned benefits.
He was a lifetime member of Disabled American Veterans and a long-time member of American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. However, David was happiest when he was driving his tractor and attending to livestock on his farm/ranch. He delighted in telling his grandchildren stories from his youth and other various tales of adventure. David said he felt grateful and blessed that he had good neighbors and friends.
David married Brenda Galaway in 1977. She survives.
Other survivors include his children, Kim Golden of Manhattan and Brian Penrod (Sabrina) of Soldier; his grandchildren, Reilly Golden of Seattle, Wash., and Cori Penrod and Dave Penrod of Soldier; his mother Bessie Penrod of Soldier; his brother Roger Penrod (Marcia) of Salina; nephew, Jared Penrod (Julia) of Ohio; niece Hillary Randa (Justin) of Hays; niece Laura Penrod of Salina; and two great-nephews, Owen and Jack Randa of Hays.
Funeral services are planned for 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 3 at Mercer Funeral Home, Holton, with visitation an hour prior. Burial with military honors will follow in Soldier Cemetery, Soldier.
Memorial contributions may be made to Manhattan Christian College, Manhattan, sent in care of Mercer Funeral Home, P.O. Box 270, Holton, KS 66436. To leave a special message for the family, please visit www.mercerfuneralhomes.com
(PAID OBITUARY)
