DUDLEY – Robyn D. (Jussaume) Penkala, 58 of Myrtle Beach, SC died Monday, July 23, 2018 after a struggle with ALS in Grandstand Medical Center with family at her side. Her mother, Eileen M. (Gardiner) Jussaume, 82, died Friday, July 27, 2018 in UMass/Memorial Healthcare, Worcester after a short illness, also with family at her side.
Robyn leaves her husband of 4 years, James M. Penkala, 2 sons, Benjamin T. Strenk of Woonsocket, RI and Matthew R. Strenk of Charleston, SC; a daughter, Lauren E. Strenk of Myrtle Beach, SC; 2 grandsons, Jude and Isaac; her sister, Karen Jussaume of Bedford, PA; her brother, Steven R. Jussaume and his wife Denise of Douglas; her mother-in-law, Gladys (Surozenski) Penkala of Webster; her sister-in-law, Kathy Scheffler and her husband Ronald of Quinebaug, CT; and nieces and nephews.
Eileen leaves her daughter Karen, her son & daughter-in-law Steven and Denise; and her son-in-law James; a brother, Walter J. Gardiner of Myrtle Beach, SC; 7 grandchildren, Kaitlyn and Liana Geddes, Julianna Kendall, Benjamin, Matthew and Lauren Strenk, and Stephanie and Kirsten Jussaume; 2 great-grandsons, Jude and Isaac; nieces and nephews. Her husband of 50 years, Robert R. Jussaume, died in 2006 and a brother, Donald E. Gardiner of Reading, died in 1999.
Robyn was born on June 27, 1960 in Worcester and grew up in Dudley where she lived until moving to South Carolina in 2014. She graduated from Shepherd Hill Regional High School in 1978 and attended St. Vincent School of Nursing. She worked as a medical assistant and then owned and operated Stepping Stones Day Care in Dudley for 15 years. She was currently a member of Saint Anne’s Episcopal Church in Conway, SC.
Eileen was born on April 12, 1936 in Concord, NH, the daughter of George and Dorothy (Baker) Gardiner. She was raised in Penacook, NH, graduating from Penacook High School in 1953. She moved to Dudley when she married in 1956. She raised her family and then worked at Harrington Memorial Hospital in Southbridge for 20 years before retiring in 1998.
Both Eileen and Robyn belonged to the Church of the Reconciliation in Webster. Robyn had sung in choir and had been a member of the altar guild and served on the vestry. Eileen was a soprano in choir for many years and had served on the church vestry.
A Funeral Service of Holy Eucharist will be celebrated on Friday, August 3, at 11:00 AM in the Church of the Reconciliation, 5 North Main Street, Webster (please meet at the church). Eileen will be buried in Waldron Cemetery. Visiting hours will be from 5:00 to 8:00 PM Thursday, August 2, in the Sitkowski & Malboeuf Funeral Home, 340 School Street, Webster. Memorial donations may be made to either ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), Collaboration for a Cure (petefrates.com) or to the Alzheimer’s Support Network, PO Box 839, Southbridge, MA 01550-0839.