Kathryn Pennell

Kathryn Pennell, 92, passed away Monday, January 31, 2022 in Jefferson City, Mo. Kathryn was born October 4, 1929, to John Hobart and Beatrice (Mashburn) Maddux in Dallas County, Mo. On April 15, 1950, she was united in marriage to Audrey Pennell. He preceded her in death. She attended Buffalo High School and received her Bachelor’s Degree from SMSU in Springfield, Mo. Kathryn was a school teacher for 40+ years while also running a farm with her husband. During these years, she was an active member of Oak Grove Baptist Church and served as the pianist for 20+ years. After retiring, she joined the Missouri Retired Teachers Association and became a real estate broker for a short time before moving to Columbia to be near family in 2000. After her move, she joined Faith Bible Church in Columbia. Kathryn was a woman of many talents. She was a talented seamstress, made the best canned bread and butter pickles, could nurse the sickest calf back to health and was a master of anything she wanted to learn. Kathryn’s greatest joy came from her family. She loved watching all the great-grandkids grow up, attending their sporting games when she could and hearing all the stories of their accomplishments. She is survived by her children, Michael (Lana) Pennell and Rita Falls; grandchildren, Melissa (Jeff) Comparato, James (Andrea) Pennell, and Nicholas Falls; great-grandchildren, Kaitlyn Cole and Trey Warfield, Mikayla, Kyle, and Kendra Pennell, and Ashton and Theodore Falls; siblings, Patty Smith, Louis (Jean) Maddux, Ivan (Marcelline) Maddux, and Elvin (Janice) Maddux; brother-in-law Ralph Cansler; special nephews Herb and Brian Maddux and many dearly loved nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband, Kathryn was preceded in death by her parents; sisters, Mary Atteberry and her husband Joe, Vera Cansler, and Georgia Maddux; her brother, Herbert Maddux; a daughter-in-law, Diana Pennell, and a brother-in-law, Paul Smith. A visitation will be held Saturday, February 5, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. followed by funeral services at 2:00 p.m., both at Memorial Funeral Home, Columbia. Donations in Kathryn’s memory may be made to the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, in care of the funeral home.