Patricia Pennington Obituary

Patricia Pennington

AIKEN - Patricia Kennedy Pennington of Aiken, SC, found peaceful rest at Piedmont Augusta Hospital in Augusta, GA, on March 6, 2026.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 57 years, Don L. Pennington, MD, in August 2025. She is survived by three sons, John Whitton "Whit" (Karen McPherson) Pennington, Shelbyville, KY, Lee Kennedy Pennington, Annapolis, MD, and Matthew Brooks (Sandra) Pennington, Toronto, Canada; two granddaughters, Georgia Kennedy Pennington and Mae Elizabeth Pennington; her sister Elizabeth "Betty" (Gary) Sanderson, Carrollton, TX; and generations of beloved cousins, nieces and nephews, and their families. Patricia's parents Finley Augustus Kennedy, MD, and Emma Whitton Kennedy and elder sister Kay (Len) Yaun of Aiken, SC, passed away thirty years before her. In recent years niece Julia (Jeff) May and nephew Greg Yaun, both of Aiken, gave untiring assistance to Patricia and Don as their health declined.

Patricia Kennedy, a sixth-generation Aikenite, was born on October 15, 1941, at Aiken County Hospital. In her youth she accompanied her father, a physician, on house calls, which inspired her to embrace nursing as her calling. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, in 1961, then served as a Staff Nurse at Eugene Talmadge Memorial Hospital at The Medical College of Georgia (MCG) in Augusta. In 1966 she completed a M.N. (Master of Nursing) at Emory University School of Nursing, Atlanta, GA, and during 1966-1968 taught nursing at Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, NC.

Patricia met Don Pennington in 1965 while both were affiliated with MCG and he visited Aiken to observe the first reenactment of the Battle of Aiken; they married in June 1968 at Clark Air Base Hospital, Luzon, The Philippines, where Don served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps. Patricia and Don moved to Nashville, TN, for Don to complete his medical residency at Vanderbilt University; during that time Patricia worked in the Clinical Faculty at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. In 1971 the couple relocated to Aiken, where Don began his medical practice as a cardiologist. Patricia stepped away from active nursing while raising her family, but in the early 2000s joined Don as his nursing assistant when he opened a branch office for Aiken Cardiovascular Associates in Barnwell, SC.

A lifelong learner and advocate for personal growth, Patricia was invited in 1973 to join The Student Club (established in 1901), South Carolina's oldest civic organization for women, which encourages ongoing educational development among not only its members but also Aiken County residents. She was a longstanding member of Pine Needle Garden Club; the founding director of Aiken Hears Better, a local advocacy group for hard-of-hearing individuals; a board member at the Free Medical Clinic of Aiken; and a member of the International Dyslexia Society, among other public-spirited endeavors. One of Patricia's many projects that sought to support the well-being of the wider Aiken community was coordinating the addition of a meditative strolling labyrinth to the grounds of Hopeland Gardens in Aiken.

Patricia's adult years brought progressive hearing loss; rather than be overcome by her impairment, she believed in the importance of maintaining a spirit of positive determination when facing adversity. Her pastimes including gardening with passion, playing sharp hands of Bridge, reading for pleasure in ways informed by her love for learning, and baking elaborate desserts for family and friends. She brightened the lives of others by listening to their concerns no matter the degree of her hearing loss, encouraging their feelings of self-worth, and attending to their daily needs. Until the close of her days as a daughter, wife, mother, and nurse, Patricia was ceaselessly gracious and generous to everyone she knew and encountered in her life.

A graveside service will be held at Bethany Cemetery, Aiken, at 11:00 AM on Friday, March 13, 2026, with The Rev. John Carroll officiating. The family will receive family and friends after the service.

Memorials may be made to the Salvation Army, 322 Gayle Avenue NW, Aiken, SC, 29801; First Baptist Church of Aiken, P.O. Box 3157, Aiken, SC, 29802; or to support the educational programming of The Student Club (Attn: Mrs. William Hardy), 119 Cottonwood Creek Lane, Aiken, SC, 29803.

SHELLHOUSE FUNERAL HOME, INC., 924 HAYNE AVE., AIKEN, SC 29801

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