Noel "Bud" Penk

Noel (Bud) Howard Penk passed away on July 8, 2025 peacefully while he slept.

Bud's parents, Engward (Doc) Penk and Dorothy Penk, welcomed him to this world on October 21st, 1939. They raised him in Springfield, Minnesota where he grew up playing sports, hunting, and excelling in school as the valedictorian of his class of 1957. He mixed scholastics with entertainment at University of Minnesota before adventuring out to San Francisco where he was at the forefront of data processing and the computer age. He had two children, Jamie Smith Penk (married to Rachel Wandell) and Nicole Morstad Dennison (married to Eric Dennison) with his former wife, Kay Smith Burrous. They were raised in Decatur, Illinois. He was a father who was always there and always encouraged his children. He was what anyone would want a father to be. An avid hunter with his late best friend Tony Smith, his children, and his family, he found time to be the scourge of any duck, goose, or pheasant who flew too close. He was always most happy when he was with his family. He is survived by his children, his grandchild, as well as his siblings - Jana Kieper and husband Dave Kieper, Judy Powell, William Penk and wife Nancy Penk, Dean Penk and wife Julie Penk, Dave Penk, and scores of nieces and nephews. His love of family contributed to his passion for genealogy. He put together an extensive family tree, getting to know many distant relatives in the process. After retirement, Bud moved to Jacksonville, Florida for his golden years. Here he would find a new community playing competitive bridge and attaining the rank of Ruby Life Master. In 2023, Bud met his grandson, Oscar Nicholson Penk, and the two of them lit each other up. They especially enjoyed playing the piano together. Bud was an affable, considerate, keenly intelligent, family man.

He will be missed and he will be remembered at a ceremony on August 2, 2025 at the Sturm Funeral Home in Springfield, Minnesota at 2:30 PM with internment to follow at St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery. A wake will be held at the Springfield Golf Course Clubhouse at 4:30 PM.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to your local humane society. Bud was a friend to the canines in particular.