Edward Alton Pennington, Sr.

Edward Alton Pennington, Sr.
was born on May 13, 1928 in Phil Campbell, Alabama to Pearl and Grover Pennington, the youngest of their 5 children.

He was born 2 months premature and only weighed 2- 1/2 pounds. The doctor was so sure he wouldn't survive that he gave the family his condolences and went back to town. Determined he would live, his mother fed him goat's milk with an eye dropper and fashioned a homemade incubator on the back of her wood stove. As Edward always told everyone, "The 13th is an unlucky day, but it was the luckiest day of my life."

As a young man he grew up on a farm, and spent his days hunting, fishing and exploring the surrounding creeks and hills. Because beans were his favorite food, his friends started calling him "Bean". The nickname stuck and everyone knew him as "Bean" or "Mr. Bean."

On July 23, 1950, another lucky day, he married Kathryn Faye Bryant in York, South Carolina. During their 57 years together, they raised 4 children who gave them 6 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

He enjoyed growing a big garden each year and had an orchard with all kinds of fruit trees and bee hives. His love for growing things was passed on to each of his children, along with a strong work ethic. He spent many years working in the timber industry, logging and pulp-wooding.

But life was not all work. He also loved traveling, spending time in the mountains or at the beach with family and lived in Alaska for 20 years even though he didn't like SNOW.

Faith and music always played an important part in his life and he loved attending church, writing songs, playing his guitar and singing with family and friends.

When Edward Alton Pennington, Sr. left this life on January 28, 2008, he left a hole in our hearts. Our loving husband, Daddy and PaPa---he will be deeply missed and thought of every day until we are all together again.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Ralph and Roy Pennington; one sister, Ila Mae Greene.

Survivors include his wife of fifty-seven years, Kathryn Faye Bryant Pennington, of Fayetteville, Arkansas; two sons, Alton Pennington and wife, Joyce of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Thomas Pennington and wife, Jessa of Anchorage, Alaska; two daughters, Jannie Roberts and husband, Danny of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Shirley Morgan and husband, Jerry of Wasilla, Alaska; six grandchildren, Aaron Roberts of Anchorage, Alaska, Kathryn Morgan and Madison Morgan of Wasilla, Alaska, Bryan Roberts and Amy Hileman of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Seth Pennington of Portland, Tennessee; three great-grandchildren, Elena Roberts, Connor Hileman and Evelyn Hileman all of Fayetteville, Arkansas.