John H. Penn, Ph.D.

Obituary

John Howard Penn, 69, of Morgantown passed away on May 11, 2021, after a short battle with cancer. John was born in Washington, PA to the late H. Ray Penn and Mary Rose Barnard Penn. John received his Bachelor of Science Degree from West Virginia Wesleyan in 1974, received his Ph.D. from the University of Madison-Wisconsin in 1981 and did his Post-Doctorate Fellowship at the University of Utah from 1981-1983. Following his education, he worked as an Organic Chemistry Professor at West Virginia University from 1983-2017; where he received WVU Outstanding Teacher Award in 1997. John also was an active member of the Morgantown Elks for twelve years and served as the State President for one year. He enjoyed volunteering at Mon General Hospital; where he received the 2011 & 2019 WV Healthcare Volunteer of the year award. He also volunteered at Madison Center, along with driving a bus for Suncrest United Methodist Church. John is survived by his step children: Rhonda (Roy) Johnson, Monica (JD) Foell, and Kenneth (Tammy) Botham; his siblings: Eileen and Robert Penn; his best friend: Vera Bennett; and several nieces, nephews, grandchildren, great grandchildren, colleagues, friends, and his loyal canine companion Heinrich.