Obituary of Robert E. Pennock

Dr. Robert Edward Pennock North Greenbush Dr. Robert E. Pennock 92 passed away peacefully Sunday February 10, 2019 with family at his side. Dr.Pennock grew up in Syracuse, NY, the son of the late Harold and Anstress Pennock. He attended Syracuse public schools including Nottingham High School. He was a Navy veteran of World War II and served as an electronic technicians mate on the South Pacific islands of Pelilieu and Yap. After the war, he graduated from SU magna cum laude in electrical engineering and was initiated into the mathematics (President), physics and engineering honorary societies. He went on to attend the Iliff School of Theology at Denver University where he earned a masters of theology and a doctorate in philosophy of religion. He was ordained in the ministry of the United Methodist Church in 1953 and served churches in Kansas and Denver, as well as Oswego and Mexico, New York. After two years as Methodist Campus Minister at SUNY Oswego, he became a Personnel Supervisor for Sylvania Electronics in Buffalo. He returned to academia as the Associate Dean for Continuing Education at the Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua, NY Dr. Pennock was Dean of the Sage Evening College and Professor of Philosophy for 18 years before his retirement in 1994. He continued part-time teaching at The Sage Colleges in Albany and Troy and at Hudson Valley Community College and has been an evaluator of World Religions examinations for Excelsior College. In recent years he was asked to return to the United Methodist ministry to serve churches part-time. He served in Stephentown, New Yark briefly in 2001 and at the Niverville/Chatham Center UM Church 2001-2007 and again in late 2008.. He has had a long term interest in the relationship between science and religion and received an award from the Templeton Foundation in 1996 for his course in Religion and Science at The Sage Colleges He is survived by his wife, Holly Walters Pennock, who retired as Assistant to the President for Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness at Hudson Valley Community College, and five children: Rebecca Steimle (Paul)of Grand Prairie, Texas; Janette Hill ( Dr. Robert) of Boston, MA; Scott Pennock (Patricia) of Baldwinsville, NY; David Pennock (Kristin) of Cortland, NY; and Jessica Marshall (Scott) of Ellington, CT; thirteen grandchildren and Nine great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his brother, Donald, in 2014. He had been active in community activities all his life and has served on Boards for Boy Scouts, United Way (Chairman of Ontario County UW), Planned Parenthood, and United Methodist Higher Education and Campus Ministry. While minister of the First United Methodist Church in Oswego, he was the founding Chairman of the Oswego County Board of Mental Health and helped establish and staff its first Clinic. He frequently served as a chairman or member of an accreditation team for the Middle States Association of Colleges and Universities including teams for American institutions in Puerto Rico, England, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan as well as many in the northeastern U.S. He has been a long time member of Torch International and has served as the President and Secretary of the Albany Club. He was a past member of Rotary, Lions and Masons. He had a strong interest in music and sang in several community choruses, directed children's choirs in five churches and served as bass soloist for many years at Trinity United Methodist Church in Albany. During his retirement years he has coped positively with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, colon cancer and spinal stenosis, but has welcomed each day as an opportunity to celebrate the gift of life and the mystery of creation in the question, "Why is there Something instead of Nothing?" Relatives and friends are invited to Calling Hours Friday from 3:00-7:00 pm in the Wm. J. Rockefeller Funeral Home 165 Columbia Tpk,. Rensselaer. A celebration of life service will be held 11:00 am Saturday Feb 16, 2019 at Trinity United Methodist Church 235 Lark Street Albany. Donations can be made to the trinity United Methodist Church. Interment will be at Richland Cemetery at the Convenience of the family.