Pene, 70, died suddenly in her home Monday, January 26th. She was born April 27th, 1944 in Sheridan, Wyoming to Rudy Schilling and Patricia Carlon.
Pene met the love of her life at Sheridan High School in 1957. She and Karl married in 1960 at the First Christian Church in Sheridan, Wyoming. In 1965, they moved to Story, where they raised two children and helped raise two grandchildren.
Pene worked as a scale master and spent many years as an EMT II on the Story Ambulance. She also worked at the Story store and volunteered at the Story Library. She was active in the Story Garden Club for years. First and foremost, Pene was devoted to her family and friends. She loved Story and the Bighorns, gardening, watching birds with a cup of tea in the mornings, stamping and making cards, and her continuous reign as the queen of pinochle. Her raspberry patch was a thing of beauty. Each generation knew how to pick a raspberry correctly and ate more than ever made it inside the house. Her great grandchildren never let her go to sleep while visiting before she would tell them a story about a little boy and his great adventures in the woods. She woke early every morning with a smile on her face, excited to greet her loved ones with a good morning hug and an "I love you", thrilled to have someone up to visit with. She was patient beyond comprehension. The great grandkids always knew she was the one to go to if they wanted to play dolls or cars with someone who wouldn't make up an excuse to do something else.
Pene was preceded in death by her mother, her father and sister, Pam. Pene is survived by her husband, Karl of Story, WY; her children, Kerene (Paul) Gust of Rock Springs, WY and Shan Swedelius of Story, WY; grandchildren, TaAnna (Courtney) Brown of Salida, CO and Kyle Swedelius of Story, WY; and great-grandchildren Karl Courtney Brown and Hazel Penelope Brown of Salida, CO.
A celebration of life will be held at the First Christian Church on Friday, Jan. 30th at 1pm with Doug Goodwin officiating. She will be laid to rest in the Story Cemetery next to her mother in the family plot.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Christian Church in Sheridan. Arrangements are entrusted with Champion Funeral Home.