Penny A. Tolley, 79, of Wrentham, died Monday, February 19th peacefully at home.
Born on October 3, 1944, the daughter of the late Franklin and Amy Thurston, she was raised in Westwood, MA and lived in Medway most of her adult life.
Penny graduated from Westwood High School and thereafter attended Mount Ida College.
She was a stay-at-home Mom for many years, dedicated and focused on raising her daughters; making costumes, traveling to appointments and activities, and volunteering to chaperone at every opportunity.
Once in the workforce Penny held several administrative positions where she met some great people, a few who became lifelong friends.
Growing up, Penny spent summers at Lake Winnipesauke and she continued to enjoy the cottage throughout her life. Penny and her late brother John Thurston kept the cottage as their parents envisioned it, a welcoming and warm place where family and friends would gather.
For years she also enjoyed hosting parties at the family pool in Medway, bringing people together for clam boils, cook outs and fun in the sun. She looked forward to occasional trips to the casino and liked playing Keno.
More recently, Penny enjoyed going out to lunch and dinner and chatting on the phone with her long- distance friends.
She was a football fan who enjoyed watching the Patriots as well as ‘Patrick’ of the KC Chiefs. Penny’s love of cats spanned a lifetime, and she adored her cat, Benji.
Penny is survived by her daughters Kristin Fitzpatrick and her husband David of Wrentham, and Kimberley McDonnell of Cobleskill, NY. She is also survived by close family and lifelong friends. Penny was a kind and thoughtful person and will be missed.
A private celebration of life will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168 or via: https://dana-farber.org/gift.
Arrangements are under the care of the Ginley Crowley Funeral home in Medway (ginleyfuneralhomes.com).