Cornelius Joseph Penny

Penny, Cornelius "Neil" J Neil passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 21, 2012. He was born on November 10, 1925 in Kalamazoo to Marinus and Frances Penny. Neil married Virginia Pott on June 1, 1946 and enjoyed 56 years of marriage until Virginia passed away in 2003. In his younger years, Neil could be found at local race tracks, including Galesburg Speedway, Jackson Fairgrounds, Flat Rock Speedway, Mottville, and South Bend Motor Speedway and South Anthony Speedway in Indiana, honing the stock car skills that helped him win the Season Championship 100 lap trophy race at Galesburg in 1953, the midseason State Championship races, and to become the top driver at Jackson and second in points at Galesburg in 1954. He was finally rewarded for his contributions to stock car racing in 2004 when he was inducted into the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame. His love and knowledge of cars helped him to grow from a full-time mechanic to owner and operator of Woodward's Garage, which he paid for with his earned prize money, and worked at until he retired. As he grew older, Neil became a staple in Galesburg area restaurants, where he knew waitresses by name and appreciated casual conversation. He was also known for driving his car everywhere, which allowed him to travel the entire country, visiting every state in the union, with wife Virginia. Neil will probably be remembered by many for his outwardly gruff, say whatever-was-on-his-mind attitude. His personality led him to be forever stuck in his ways, avoiding change at all costs, and affectionately overusing phrases such as "that's the way the cookie crumbles," to brush away a concern, "Let's hit the bricks" to oftentimes abruptly inform those around him that he was leaving, or "the acoustics are terrible, I can't hear you," but would feign understanding and continue to ask you questions he couldn't hear the answer to. He was a proud man that would insist on paying for every meal, and would thank you endlessly for visiting and spending time with him, regardless of how much you told him that you were happy to be there. He loved working at his home and spending time manicuring his lawn, which became one of the things that he missed most as he grew older. In his last hours, he drove himself, as he did every day, to enjoy his favorite meal of the day, breakfast. Then traveled home, a trip that had become shorter and shorter, as he struggled to take the long, scenic drives that he loved. He spent the day relaxing at his home, and laid his head down on his pillow one last time and finally slipped into the peaceful sleep that he wished for. He will truly be missed for his generosity, driven work ethic, and family values. As well as missed by many friends and family members who will remember a man who wished for little more than good conversation to pass the time. He was preceded in death by wife Virginia and daughter Jackie Nutter. He is survived by his children Barb (Dave) VanDyke of Portage, Ron (Sharon) Penny of Three Rivers, Marylynn (Jim) Higbee of Kalamazoo, many grandchildren, great grandchildren, and close friend Elsie Shannon.