Ruth Elizabeth Penley ^272,2454

Wisconsin State Journal
Madison, Wisconsin
Saturday, December 31, 2011
p. A6

Ruth Penley Skerpan

STOUGHTON - Ruth Penley Skerpan, age 92, widow of Alfred Andrew Skerpan, passed away Monday, Dec. 26, 2011, at her home in Stoughton.

She was born in Lewiston, Maine, June 18, 1919, daughter of the late Ferdinand Josiah Penley and Lucy Lindsay. Before her first birthday, she moved with her family to Connecticut, where she spent her childhood and youth and attended Central Connecticut State College. Following her graduation in 1940, she taught elementary school in Connecticut, Hawaii, and New Jersey, and received her Master's degree from Columbia University Teacher's College. After her marriage, she moved to Kent, Ohio, where she lived for more than fifty years, returning to teaching after the death of her husband in 1967.

She was a founding member of the Kent League of Women voters and an active member of the United Church of Christ, Toastmistresses International, and the Kent and National Education Associations. In her retirement she enjoyed traveling with friends and volunteering for Robinson Memorial Hospital, the Red Cross, and the Kent State University Museum. In 2003 she moved to Stoughton, to be near her granddaughters. In addition to spending time with her grandchildren, she enjoyed book groups at the Stoughton Public Library, a music appreciation group at the Stoughton Area Senior Center, and the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society.

She is survived by her brother, Robert Penley and his wife, Francoise of Paris, France; sister, Phyllis Kelley, of West Hartford, Connecticut; daughter, Elizabeth Skerpan-Wheeler, of Austin, Texas; son, Alfred Lindsay Skerpan of Stoughton, and Marilyn Shawn Skerpan; grandchildren, Gabrielle, Briana, Annaliese, and Sophia Skerpan; nephews, Paul Kelley, William Penley, Alexandre Penley; and nieces, Linda Winchester, Carol Skerpan and Jane Skerpan.

Memorial services will be held at United Methodist Church of Stoughton, 525 Lincoln Ave., Stoughton, at 11 a.m., on Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. Visitation will be at Gunderson Stoughton Funeral Home, 1358 Highway 51, Stoughton, from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, and also at the church from 10 a.m. until the time of service on Monday. Flowers may be sent to Gunderson Funeral Home or donations in her memory may be made to the Second Harvest Food Bank or the Democratic National Committee.

Gunderson Stoughton Funeral & Cremation Care
1358 Highway 51
(608) 873-4590
www.gundersonfh.com

  Events

• She appeared on the census in 1920 in Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut. She lived in the household of her parents.

• She appeared on the census in 1930 in Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut. She lived in the household of her parents.

• She appeared on the census in 1940 at 76 Newport Avenue in West Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut. She lived in the household of her parents.

• She had a residence in Kent, Portage County, Ohio.

Ruth married Alfred Andrew Skerpan, son of Alfred Skerpan and Mary [--?--], between 1945 and 1955. (Alfred Andrew Skerpan was born in 1914 in Rochester, Monroe County, New York,³⁵⁹⁹ died 5 December 1967 in Kent, Portage County, Ohio ^{3598,3599,3600} and was buried after 5 December 1967 in Kent, Portage County, Ohio at Standing Rock Cemetery ³⁵⁹⁹.)