Russell William Pennington, 98, a longtime resident of Graham County, died Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, in Broomfield, Colorado. Russell was born on Jan. 6, 1925, in Salina, Kansas, to Russell and Mary (McCain) Pennington. The Penningtons operated the Buchanan general store which was located 12 miles north of Bogue. Russell’s family lived on the second floor of the store and raised wheat and cattle on their nearby farm.
Russell graduated from the one-room Buchanan country school which was located less than a mile from the store. He then attended and graduated from Hill City High School. Russell never claimed to be an athlete, but he also never tired of telling folks he played tight end on the only undefeated football team in Hill City’s history. In 1943 the team was untied and scored on just once.
Shortly after graduating from high school, Russell volunteered for the United States Navy and served on the USS St. Paul in the South Pacific. He attended the War College of the Pacific near Pearl Harbor and was later stationed on the island of Saipan.
After returning home from the navy Russell attended and graduated from Fort Hays State. He majored in chemistry earning his teaching certificate, was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and was a Prince of the Reveille Ball in 1948. Throughout his life Russell loved music and enjoyed dancing. While in college, this led to him meeting the love of his life – Mary Lou Fellers of Hays. They were married on Aug. 9, 1949, in the First United Methodist Church of Hays.
The following year, Russell and Mary Lou moved to Rozel, Kansas, where he was principal of the grade school and taught seventh and eighth grades as well as high school biology. Mary Lou taught high school English and literature.
After teaching three years in Rozel, Russell and Mary Lou moved to the Pennington family farm north of Bogue so he could share the increasing workload with his brother, Walter. Here, Russell and Mary Lou began a family: Russell Mark was born in 1954 and William Dane was born in 1956. The young family lived on the farm for five years and then moved to Bogue in the spring of 1958. In 1960 they built their “forever” home in Bogue in which they lived for nearly 60 years.
Russell taught for three years at Bogue High School and then became a rural mail carrier serving first out of Bogue and later out of Clayton. He carried the mail for more than 20 years, while, at the same time, helping farm and raise cattle on the family land with his brother. Russell worked hard during these years, up before dawn to carry the mail and farming in the afternoon and evening till dark, like Kansas farmers do. During this time he also served three years as a state officer for the Kansas Rural Letter Carriers Association.
Russell was a member of the Bogue United Methodist Church and served on many church boards. He served on the board of directors for both the Graham County Hospital and the Graham County Fair & Rodeo. He was scoutmaster for Bogue Boy Scout Troop 183 for many years while his sons were scouts. For years he managed a swing dance club which provided big band music to his generation and drew dancers from nearby communities in NW Kansas.
In 2019, Russell and Mary Lou left their beloved home and moved to an assisted living facility in Broomfield, Colorado, to be near family as they aged. During this time Russell longed for home and never missed a beat in attributing his declining health not to his advancing age but to the move from Kansas.
Survivors include Russell’s wife, Mary Lou, of Broomfield, Colorado; Mark and his wife, Josie, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Dane and his wife, Sandy, of Superior, Colorado, and their three sons: Grant; Tyler and wife, Brittany; and Connor and wife, Rachael, who are expecting Russell’s and Mary Lou’s first great-grandchild in May. All three grandsons live in the Denver area.
Preceding Russell in death were his parents, Russell and Mary; his baby brother, Donald; his sister, Lucielle, and husband, Tom Triplett; and his brother, Walter, and wife, Eleanor (Steward).
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 4, at the Bogue United Methodist Church with Pastor Julie Truhlar officiating. The public is invited for a final viewing at 9:30 a.m. at the church prior to the service.
Burial will be at the Wildhorse Township Cemetery. Memorials may be given to the Bogue United Methodist Church, Bogue, Kansas, 67625