August 18, 1941– September 15, 2022
Elwood Roy Penor, 81, of McIntosh, passed away peacefully on September 15, 2022 at Copper Sky Assisted Living in Casa Grande, AZ.
A Celebration of Life will be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in McIntosh on Friday, November 4, at 11:00 a.m. MT with Pastor James Schmeling officiating. A time of fellowship and luncheon will follow at the McIntosh City Hall.
Burial will take place, weather permitting, on November 5, at 11:00 a.m. MT at the Rabbit Butte Cemetery. Woody’s wagon and team of horses, Annie and Fannie, given to his cousin Brad Besler, will transport him to his final resting place in the Rabbit Butte Cemetery south of Bison on the Bixby Road. It was Woody’s desire to be buried in the Besler Family plot where he spent numerous days during his childhood helping out at Uncle Wayne Besler’s ranch, which was the homestead of his grandparents, Christ and Julia Besler, and where his mother Elsie (Besler) Penor was born and raised. Follow the grave side service a time of fellowship and luncheon will be held at the Besler Ranch.
E.R.“Woody” Penor was born in Bison at the home of his parents, Roy and Elsie (Besler) Penor, on August 18, 1941. He was baptized on September 9, at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church where he was also confirmed in 1947. E.R. grew up in Bison graduating from Bison High School in 1960. During his high school years he set school records for track and field.
Following high school, E.R. enrolled in college at Black Hills State College in Spearfish, graduating with a BA in Mechanical and Industrial Arts. He accepted Industrial Arts teaching positions in McIntosh High School and Mobridge High School. While he was in Mobridge, he and son Rick Penor painted barns and he started a trucking company, Penor and Son.
He married Carol Van Cleave on May 30, 1958. They had three children, Richard “Rick,” Cathy and Lori. He married Shirley Heinzman Dreiske on February 16, 1978 and became a father to her son, David Dreiske.
Following a move back to McIntosh, Woody purchased a ranch and an Allis Chalmers Farm Dealership – McIntosh Implement. He and Shirley ran double hauling cattle with their semis, farming and ranching, and engaged in custom harvesting during the summer months. He loved to fly his 172 Cessna around the country for work and pleasure.
Woody and Shirley enjoyed traveling to Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Alaska, Mexico City and Italy – where he saw the Pope. His hobbies included collecting Marilyn Monroe and Casey Tibbs memorabilia along with Allis Chalmers toys. He was a passionate Ultra Harley Davidson motorcyclist and was a proud Harley Hog Member, regularly attending the Sturgis Rally to get his annual pin.
Cycling took him and Shirley from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic and from Canada to Mexico. He loved Arabian/Morgan horses, hitching them to his great-grandparents’, Collis and Minnie Penor’s buggy and giving rides at family reunions. He was instrumental in organizing several wagon train trips following original Deadwood Trail markers. A photo of him and his team on the Eagle Butte to Isabel wagon train appeared on the cover of SDPB Magazine and in the PBS video “Dakota Life.”
Woody and Shirley regularly attended the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. He enjoyed doing yard work in their Casa Grande home when he was not seeking out garage sales. They also hosted winter snowbirds needing a reprieve.
At the time of his death, Woody was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in McIntosh and Grace Lutheran in Casa Grande.
E.R. was preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Elsie; his grandson Harley David Zahn; sister Diana Palmer; brothers-in-law Gail Palmer and Jim Ceglian; his parents-in-law Mike and Ida Heinzman; and sisterin- law Donna Heinzman Derschan.
He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Shirley Penor, McIntosh and Casa Grande; his children: Rick (Paula) Penor, Menoken, ND; Cathy (Troy) Zahn, McKenzie, ND; and Lori (Brian) Penor, Seattle, WA; and David (Linda) Dreiske, Belle Fourche; eight grandchildren: Jolene Zander, Carolee Nagel, Rhiannon, Jason and Erick Penor, Jennifer Green, Bradly and Lauralee Dreiske; and Olivia Rebhun; 20 great-grandchildren; sister Cindi Penor Ceglian, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Shirley Penor’s address is PO Box 199, McIntosh, SD 57641.