John Penko

John Penko was born on June 16, 1929 in Somerset, Colorado, a coal mining town on the western slope. John was the 13th of 13 children born to Anton and Mary, who married after immigrating to the United States from Slovenia. He is survived by four siblings: Mary, 101, Polly, 91, Tony, 89 and Frank, 86. He graduated from Paonia High School in 1947 and stayed in Somerset working on the outside of the mine, before he was drafted into the Army in 1951 for the Korean War. He served in the infantry in Korea and, after recuperating from frostbite, finished his service in Japan. John returned to the States in 1953. John married Dorothy Luoma on December 3, 1955. They both came from the same small community of Somerset, but their relationship blossomed when John was attending school in Denver and met Dorothy again through his niece, who happened to be Dorothy's best friend and roommate. Together they started a family with the arrival of John W. (Renea) in February 1957, followed by Kelsey (Mark Forsyth) in April 1960, and Maralee (Trenton Richards) in February 1962. John attended Barnes Business School in Denver and Mesa College in Grand Junction, and finally graduated from Western State College in 1960. After graduating, John and Dorothy moved to Denver where John worked for Safeway until his retirement in 1991. In their retirement, John and Dorothy liked spending time with their grandchildren: Brandon Penko, Jamie Nahil, Justin Penko, Katrina (Keith) Erzinger, Jonathan (Rachel) Penko, Karen and Steven Richards, and Phoebe and Melody Penko. Their lives were further enriched with the arrival of their great-grandchildren, Kylie and Brooklyn Nahil, Evelyn and Spencer Erzinger, and Emma Penko, who called them ""GG"" and ""GG John"". After Dorothy's death in May 2013, John had the joy of two additional great-grandchildren, Ruth Penko and Rosemary Erzinger. When John was not spending time with his children and grandchildren or hearing about the antics of all of his great-grandchildren, John enjoyed catching up with old friends, attending the men's fellowship at University Park UMC, and listening to music, especially polkas. He loved sports of all kinds and especially liked when springtime arrived so he could watch the Colorado Rockies. In addition to his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and four siblings, John is survived by many nieces and nephews. Services celebrating John's life will be held Monday, April 27, 2015 a University Park United Methodist Church, 2180 South University Blvd., Denver, 80210. Memorial Gifts May Be Given ""In Memory of John Penko"" To: University Park UMC, 2180 S University Blvd., Denver, CO 80210 Porter Hospice Residence, 5020 E. Arapahoe Rd., Centennial, CO 80122 American Cancer Society www.cancer.org 1-800-227-2345