Obituary of Eugene Alfred Penfield

EUGENE ALFRED PENFIELD Eugene A. Penfield of Ridgefield, WA passed away on June 1, 2016 at the age of 81. Gene was born October 1, 1934 in Northampton, MA, the only son of Alfreda Korytko and Waverly Penfield. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics from St. Louis University and a Master of Science in Systems Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He retired in 1976 from the Air Force after 21 years of service. He considered his most gratifying assignment to be as Commander of the 463rd Field Maintenance Squadron in the Philippines during the height of the Vietnam War. His highest military award was the Meritorious Service Medal, which he also earned with Oak Leave Cluster. After serving the United States, he worked as a plant supervisor and later as a financial advisor. His hobbies during his retirement were painting, reading, watching his various sports teams, and writing. He wrote a novel and six short stories, which his survivors are seeking to publish. He was also a very active member of the Vancouver Military Officer’s Association of America. Gene married Dorothy Ann Baker on April 3, 1958. He is survived by Dorothy, his three children, Diana Blake of Lafayette, OR, Robert Penfield of Bellevue, WA, and Stephen Penfield of Hillsboro, OR, his sister Lucia Kielbasa of Amherst, MA, his grandchildren Paige Penfield of Bothell, WA, Matt Bressler (and wife Katie) of Newberg, OR, Stefanie Nergaard (and husband Jeff) of Molalla, OR, and great granddaughter Scarlett (the Starlet) Bressler, also of Newberg, OR. Cremation will be handled by Cascadia Cremation and Burial Service, Inc. A Memorial Service is planned for 1:00 p.m. on Monday, June 20, 2016, at and will be held at Vancouver Barracks Military Cemetery, where Gene’s ashes will be interred. The Family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to a favorite charity.