SFC (Retired) Michael G Pennybacker

SFC (Ret.) Michael Gail Pennybacker ,79 of Inverness, passed away February 7, 2023 at the Lake City Veterans Hospital under the loving care of his wife and the staff of Serenity Place Hospice Care Center, located in the VA Hospital. Mike was born on February 8, 1943 to the late Braxton G. and Ellen A. (Showalter) Pennybacker, in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Mike served his country in the United States Army retiring after 22 years as a Sergeant First Class. He was awarded a Bronze Star, Vietnam Service Medal and a Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal during the Vietnam War. During his army service, he also served with the Military Police and as an intelligence analyst. He taught map reading and land navigation and went to school and became a Drill Instructor. He received the Meritorious Service Medal. He was a life member of VFW Post 4252 in Hernando and frequently assisted VFW Post 4337 in Inverness. He was also a honorary member of the American Legion Post 200 in Boiling Springs, South Carolina. He retired to one of his former duty stations, Ft. McClellan, located in Anniston, Alabama. He went to work for Johnson Controls under PanAm, as a manager of their Self Help Supply Warehouse, for the military dependent families living on base. He enjoyed his work there, however it was cut short when his father past away, bringing him back to Florida. While back in Florida, he went to work for Inverness Golf & Country Club, working with grounds keeping on the greens. He decided to move back to Inverness and Pam joined him. He soon would be employed at the Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home in Inverness. While working there he also was employed with the Citrus County School System as a bus driver. He enjoyed that job and became a top senior driver and went on to drive for 20 years before retiring. He drove the school bus every year to transport passengers to the Citrus County Strawberry Festival in Floral City and also worked every year at the Citrus County Fair. He went to school and received his security guard license and was a guard at Citrus Memorial Hospital. He left there to drive a transit bus in Hernando County and later went to work at Roberts Funeral Home in Dunnellon. Mike resided at the Community Life Center at the Lake City VA, for 13 ½ months during the latter part of 2016 to the later part of 2017, then he had a 4 year stay at the Veterans Domiciliary Home in Lake City from the later part of 2017 to the later part of 2021. During the time between care center stays, Mike was in the Lake City VA Hospital. Finally, from the later part of 2021 to the later part of 2022, Mike resided at the Surrey Place Care Center in Live Oak. Mike proudly served on the Honor Guard to his fallen brothers in arms, even though he was in a power chair. He loved to hunt and fish and enjoyed communing with nature and his God. Left to cherish his memory is his wife of 45 years, Pamela; two children; five grandchildren, two great grandchildren; and many “Brothers in Arms”.
Services for Mike will be conducted on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 11:30 AM from the Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home, in Inverness. Committal services with full military honors, provided by the US Army Reserve Honor Guard, will follow at 2:00 PM at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL. Friends may call at the funeral home from 10:00 AM until service time. His wife requests in lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Paralyzed Veterans of America; American Legion post 200, P.O Box 160021, Boiling Springs, SC; Robert H. Jenkins, Jr., Veterans Domiciliary Home of Florida; Tunnels to Towers or Folds of Honor.