Denise Marie Pennelly

Denise Marie Pennelly (née James), a longtime resident of the Bay Area, passed away Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, with her friends and family by her side, after complications from an undiagnosed autoimmune disease. She was born in Commerce, Texas, on Dec. 21, 1945, to her parents David and Katherine James, who were both mechanics in the Air Force during World War II. After the war, the family of three relocated to San Leandro, Calif., where Denise spent the rest of her childhood. Denise got her undergraduate degree in science at Cal State Hayward, where she met her future husband, Russell Pennelly. They later married, and Denise went on to earn her Masters degree in Botany at the University of Nebraska. After graduation, the couple moved to Buffalo, New York, to work in the science field — where Denise joined early cancer research efforts. Two daughters later, the couple returned to the Bay Area to finish raising Amanda and Christina. Denise was an active member of the community, volunteering as much as possible through the years with the Irvington Presbyterian Church in Fremont, Calif., and other charities. She loved to travel the world, loved botany and gardening, loved her friends, and loved her family. She was an easy joy to be around, and she is missed by all who loved and knew her. Denise is survived by her husband, two daughters and their partners, two grandchildren, and a now very sad flat-coated retriever. We will be celebrating Denise's life on Monday, Nov. 27, 2017, at 3 p.m. PT at Irvington Presbyterian Church, 4181 Irvington Ave., Fremont, Calif., 94538. Donations can be made in her honor to the Red Cross, on behalf of their Disaster Relief fund, via this web site: https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.