Ellen Penley

Prayers for the family.

Family, your in out thoughts and prayers. May God give you comfort during this time. Sammy Morgan

This morning I was thinking about my childhood back when my Dad was the pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Arden, NC. I remembered the pot luck dinners when I was 5 years old in 1985, and that triggered a vivid memory of a beautiful cake, completely round like a ball, meticulously decorated as a globe with light aqua frosting and the continents beautifully and precisely iced to form our world. “What was that lady’s name who made that”, I thought. I remembered her with dark brown hair and glasses, and a beautiful, cheery spirit. She would pick my mother and me up for church sometimes when my Dad had to be there way earlier…in what my 4-5 year old memory was a light green car with velvety light green seats. We would drive under a stone bridge arch to get to church from her house…an arch I identify with her to this day. “Ellen Penley!” That was her name. I remembered. When I saw this lovely tribute to her, and her picture here, a flood of memories came back, and I knew this was the lady who had an impact on my life all those years ago. Mrs. Penley. A face I would never forget. A lovely woman, whose kindness, creativity, and smile made an impression on my little heart and mind, that I remember 40 something years later. Even though that was many years ago, and my Dad moved into another calling in 1986 from the church of my most formative years, and I never saw Mrs. Penley again, I wanted to leave my tribute to her here for her family, and to let you know that her love and kindness reached a little girl whose heart she touched, and will forever be part of the fabric of my life. Rest in peace, Mrs. Penley, thank you for your kindness, and I can’t wait to taste your wonderful cakes and see your smile in heaven again one day! With sincere gratitude, Jessica Hilkert