Geoffrey John Penney

Geoff Penney, son of Reginald and Eileen Penney, passed away peacefully at Forsyth Hospital in Winston-Salem earlier this week, age 67. His family and friends will miss him and are grateful for the wonderful times they shared. Cherishing his memory are his loving wife Linda and her mother Peggy, his sons Neill and Daniel and their wives Katharine and Sandra, his daughter Leslie and her husband Greg, his sisters Elizabeth and Sarah, his granddaughters Georgina, Sarah, and Victoria, and all his family. A graduate of the City of London School, Geoff took his undergraduate degree and then a doctorate in chemistry at Cambridge University. After 3 years managing systems for Eastman Kodak in the UK, and 3 years as a project manager for BIS Applied Systems, Geoff joined Bankers Trust in 1976, managing technology projects in London and then New York until 1993. He then spent 3 years with Fidelity Investments in Boston, before joining Charles Schwab in San Francisco as head of financial products and international technology, becoming CIO in 2001. A technologist, strategist, problem solver, and a man to whom others could turn for wise counsel, Geoff loved the challenges that work presented, and figuring out how to use technology to help clients. After retiring to Winston-Salem in 2004, Geoff became actively involved in the local community. He was a past president of Winston-Salem Writers, and enjoyed both the work of members of the group and reading extracts of his own writing and autobiography at Open Mic evenings. He also enjoyed volunteering at the YMCA, helping other adults learn to read. Geoff filled our lives with happiness, fun, and love. He had many interests. He loved to settle down in one of his blue V-neck sweaters to read Kingsley Amis or the latest economic prognostications, or to catch up on the latest movies or old favorites from the 1950s and 1960s like ""Tunes of Glory'. He loved to sit out under his umbrella at his favorite spot in Myrtle Beach, and gaze out at the ocean. And he had boundless curiosity, and was a fount of knowledge about everything from Winston Churchill to Bob Dylan to J. M. W. Turner. But his highest priority was spending time with his family. He loved nothing more than sitting down to a good dinner with those he loved, catching up on news and having some spirited debate (while cannily edging the ice cream his way). Geoff's friends are invited to a memorial service, to be held in Winston-Salem at a later date, to share stories and remembrances of Geoff's life. More details about the service will be provided when available at http://geoffpenneymemorial.wordpress.com; condolences and tributes about Geoff can be made at the same website. Memorial contributions are requested in lieu of flowers; details about how to make a contribution will similarly be available on the website shortly. The contributions will be given to the ICU unit in the poor hospital of Funchal on the island of Madeira where the doctors worked so hard to help when he became suddenly ill just two weeks ago. Hayworth-Miller Lewisville Chapel is serving the Penney family.

Cemetery:
http://geoffpenneymemorial.wordpress.com



Service:
memorial service at a later date