Eileen Penning

Eileen (Brown) Penning was born August 6, 1914 in St. James, MN to William and Mary (Johansen) Brown. She attended school in St. James and graduated with the Class of 1932 from St. James High School. She obtained her Teaching Certificate in 1934 from Mankato State and continued classes for the next several years to obtain her Masters Degree. Following the obtainment of her teaching certificate in 1934, Eileen taught country school for 11 years before accepting a teaching position in Mt. Lake, MN. After a few years of teaching in Mt. Lake, Eileen moved to Pipestone, MN where she taught for many years until her retirement after 40+ years of teaching. On December 29, 1967 she married Clarence Penning in St. James. Clarence preceded her in death in 1992. In 1994 Eileen moved to the Homestead Cooperative in St. James where she lived until the time of her death. She is survived by - one brother, Lloyd and wife Jeanne Brown of St. James; two step-children, Jack and wife Caroline Penning of St. Peter, and Carol and husband Dave Corporan of Sioux City, IA; six nieces and nephews, Gayle Brown Olson of Ormsby, Bill Brown of St. James, Jill and husband Ron Elliott of Moorhead, MN, Lynn and husband Jim Wickett of Wilkie, Saskatchewan, Canada, Leanne and husband Robert Brinkman of Ogden, UT, and Nancy and husband John Flaherty of Lino Lakes, MN. She is also survived by six grandchildren, one great-grandson, 16 great nieces and nephews, and a great great niece and nephew. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one infant sister, Nellie, one nephew Les Olson, and one great-nephew, Joe Olson.