Autry Pennington

Autry Lee Pennington of Safford passed into eternity on May 29, 2021, at the age of 83. He was born on December 28, 1937, in Wister, Oklahoma to parents Howard Pennington & Bessie Coffee Pennington with siblings Loveda, Marlin, Mary, Betty, Caroline, Wanda, Gale, and Dale. Autry attended school in Central, attending through the 8th grade. He had to drop out of school to go to work and help support his siblings and parents. On January 9, 1957, he married his one true love Marjorie Ilene Wimberly in Lordsburg, New Mexico, and they were blessed with three children; Scottie, Kete, and Silvia. Autry worked as an Iron Worker to support his beloved family. In 1975, without studying, he took his GED test and passed. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, trapping, camping, and spending time with his family. He truly loved the outdoors and spent most of his free time there with his family. His favorite outdoor escapade was his Alaskan fishing trip. Autry was skilled and could build anything, from custom homes to silversmithing, and furniture. He was a very kind and thoughtful person who never raised his voice, even to his wife and children. He was also a very quiet man who said very little but was respected by everyone. A couple of his favorite sayings were, "What one man can do, so can you", and "You only fail if you don't try". He was full of patience, love, and perseverance. Autry was preceded in death by his parents Howard & Bessie Pennington and by his brothers Marlin & Dale Pennington. He is survived by his wife of 64 years Marjorie Pennington, his children Scottie (Susan) Pennington of Safford, Silvia Worthey of Safford, Kete (Sammie) Pennington of Franklin, his siblings Loveda D. Ferguson of Mesa, Mary L. Fove of Mesa, Betty G. (Carl) Stone of Mesa, Caroline E. Miller of Glendale, Wanda L. (Tutie) Ginn, of Central, and Gale G. (Naiomi) Pennington of Durango, Colorado. He is also survived by eight Grandchildren, thirteen Great-Grandchildren, and sixteen Great-Great-Grandchildren. A visitation will be held Saturday, June 5th at 9:00 a.m. followed by the funeral service at 10:00 a.m. at McDougal's Caldwell Funeral Chapel, with interment in the Pima Cemetery following services.