- Date Of Birth: August 16, 1949
- Date Of Death: January 18, 2014
- State: Utah
ROY – PENNIE SMITH KNUDSON, 64
On January 18, 2014, our feisty and loving wife, momma, gramma, sister and friend passed away at home, after a 10 month battle with Pancreatic Cancer, with her doting husband and constant companion Robert, at her side.
Pennie was born August 16, 1949 in Blackfoot, Idaho to Arden Dee and Reva Smith. She was raised in Irwin, Idaho and attended elementary and middle school in Irwin. She was bused to Bonneville High School in Idaho Falls until her junior year when she moved with her family to Montpelier and attended and graduated from Montpelier High School in 1967. Pennie had a profound love of sports at a young age and would have people come just to watch her play softball. She had a cannon for an arm and loved to show off her skills to all.
She attended Idaho State, where she was very involved in sports, playing field hockey, volleyball and softball. After attending college for a year in Idaho, she moved to Utah. Pennie started working for the State of Utah in 1970, where she held many positions and excelled as a manager. Pennie made many lifelong friendships, while working for the State, the most notable, her husband and lifelong companion, Robert Knudson. Pennie retired in 2006 as a Bureau Director for the Department of Health and was excited to begin her retired life travelling and watching her grandkids plays sports.
Pennie married the love of her life, Robert Lyn Knudson, on August 5, 1972 in Las Vegas. One of the highlights of their marriage in Vegas was seeing Elvis perform live. Pennie was a huge Elvis fan, as well as a lover of most music. She could be found singing for birthdays, belting out songs for a class assignment or playing her accordion for fond neighbors and family. Together Robert and Pennie enjoyed travelling and they spent much of their time watching each other play softball. She was an avid and competitive softball player and fan. Many of her favorite, and funniest, moments were at the ballpark. Together they had two children, a daughter, Hollie Lyn Knudson Boydston and a son, Robert Eric Knudson. She was overjoyed to see her daughter get married and gain a son-in-law, Jason Boydston. She had two precious grandkids, Tristan Jay and Brenley Grace Boydston. Her family was the light of her life and her joy.
Pennie is survived by her husband, Robert Lyn Knudson of Roy, Utah; her daughter and son-in-law, Hollie Lyn and Jason Boydston of Layton, Utah; her son, Robert Eric Knudson of Layton, Utah; her grandkids, Tristan Jay and Brenley Grace Boydston of Layton, Utah; her mother, Reva Smith of Ovid, Idaho; two brothers, Dee (Kathy) Smith of Pocatello; Perry Smith of Ucon, Idaho; and one sister, Robin (Von) Saxton of Ovid, Idaho, as well as many in-laws and nieces and nephews. Pennie was preceded in death by her father, Arden Dee Smith, her father-in-law, Jay Knudson, her mother-in-law, Merlyn Guymon Knudson and her brother-in-law, Bruce Jackson.
Pennie had a true zest for life, a great sense of humor, a genuine compassion for her family and friends and an unmatched competitive spirit. It was that competitiveness and desire to better herself that she attended Weber State College, at the time, while working full time and raising a family. It was important to her to set an example for her family that education was important, and as she used to say, “it was a course of perseverance.” She proudly graduated from Weber State with a bachelor’s degree in 1989, at 40 years old. We were so proud of her accomplishment. Pennie was the life of the party and lit up a room with her presence. She was a gifted speaker and wordsmith, her poems and talks are legendary. She enjoyed sports and was an avid Yankee fan, traveling to many stadiums with her husband and family. They were supporters and season ticket holders of Ogden Raptors baseball since they came back to Ogden in 1994. During that time, they opened their home to ballplayers for over 10 years and became a fixture at the ballpark on third baseline. They had many great friends and great laughs at the stadium.
Pennie’s true love were her grandkids. She attended every program and ballgame that they were involved in, nothing brought her greater joy. She loved planning and taking her family on trips and “boat camping”. She rarely missed a chance to tag along with Robert on his hunting and fishing trips, always with a stack of books in tow. She enjoyed her many trips to Wendover with friends.
Pennie had friends from all walks of life. She was an amazing and thoughtful friend and person, always having a smile even in her moments of pain. She lived life to the fullest in every aspect and has left a void in our hearts that cannot be filled.
The family would like to express their heartfelt and deepest gratitude to Dr. Zachary Campbell, for his caring and compassionate care of Pennie. They would also like to thank the nurses at Utah Hematology for their care of her. As friends go, Pennie was lucky enough to have met Vicki Mager over 30 years ago. During these past few years, their bond was unbreakable and Vicki spent much time driving, talking, worrying and loving her friend. We are so grateful she had such a beautiful and kind friend at her side, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
