Shirley Mae Penick

Shirley Mae Penick, 88, daughter of the late Margaret Chaney, beloved wife of the late William Penick, of Jefferson Township, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in the loving arms of her daughter, Denice, surrounded by the devotion she spent a lifetime earning.

Born July 12, 1937, in Alabama, Shirley migrated to Cincinnati with her mother.

She was light before she was anything else. Smart, witty, and kind. She was industrious in a manner that was almost spiritual, as if she understood that the distance between where you are and where you are meant to be is measured not in miles but in the willingness to learn. When she did not know something, she did not retreat. She leaned in. This was not ambition for its own sake. This was devotion wearing work clothes.

And the world noticed.
Shirley enjoyed a long career at Kane Warehouse, AKZO Salt, Gould Battery and Parente Randolph, LLC, as an executive assistant. She was the first face anyone saw when they walked through the door. The first impression. The tone-setter. The standard. She carried the heartbeat of those organizations in her capable, trusted hands.

No title or professional achievement was ever the thing she was most proud of. That honor belonged to her family.

She was the beloved wife of the late Bill Penick for nearly fifty years. Theirs was a love that had both roots and wings. Together they moved through this world in full color, traveling to places that became richer simply because they were there, leaving behind friends in every city. That is the thing about people who carry real warmth: they do so giving it generously.

She was a devoted mother to her daughters Beverly and Denice, loving them fiercely and protecting them. She made hard choices, the kind that do not come with applause, the kind made quietly in the small hours, all in service of their futures and their flourishing. She gave them not only her love but her standards, her character.

She was beautiful. Profoundly, irreducibly beautiful. The kind of beauty that does not diminish with time but deepens, that lives in the eyes and the smile and the way a person makes you feel when you are standing near them. To be near Shirley was to feel seen. To feel chosen.
She was a Queen. A true Matriarch. A woman who ruled through integrity, who built her kingdom through love, whose crown was her character.

Shirley is survived by her daughter Denice Jones and husband William Nicolais; her grandchildren Carla, Kurtis and wife Maureen, Kharen and husband Chris, step-daughter Liz Penick Jump and her family, and step-grandson Christopher and wife Lindsey; her beloved great-grandchildren; and a wide circle of friends whose lives are richer for having known her. She was preceded in death by her daughter Beverly Payton. 

The world is quieter now. A little less bright, but Shirley leaves a blueprint of what it looks like to live with purpose.

We are grateful to the dedicated CNAs at Marywood Heights, and especially grateful to Theresa Hamilton for her love and devotion to Shirley, as she never left her side.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday April 25th at 11AM in the Carlucci-Golden-DeSantis Funeral Home, Inc. 318 East Drinker Street in Dunmore. Family and friends may visit Saturday morning from 9AM until the time of service.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes expressions of love and remembrance to be shared in Shirley’s honor.