Penny S. Von Essen

Penny S. Von Essen, age 63, of Savanna, Illinois, went to meet her Lord, with her loving family by her side after an extended illness Thursday, January 4, 2018 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa. A funeral Service will be held 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, January 9, 2018 at the First Presbyterian Church, Savanna. Burial will take place in Savanna Township Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., Monday, January 8, 2018 at Law-Jones Funeral Home, Savanna. A memorial fund has been established in her memory.

Penny was born January 20, 1954, the daughter of Wayne and Leslye (Peterson) Van Zuiden in Geneseo, Illinois. She attended Garden Plain High School, graduating with the Class of 1972. Penny married Gerald Von Essen on November 3, 1972 in Fulton, Illinois.

Penny grew up attending the Dutch Reformed Church. She became a member of the Savanna First Presbyterian Church in 1999. Penny worked as a Registered Nurse, was an EMT for the Savanna Ambulance Association for many years, and a Paramedic for the Northern Illinois Mobile Intensive Care Program from 1977-96. From 2008 to 2016, she managed the Table Meal Program for the Great River Outreach in Savanna. She was a member of the Savanna Ambulance Association and the Wa-Tan-Ye Club.

Penny will be dearly missed by her husband, Gerald; two daughters, Shanna and (Pete) Shadle of Williamsburg, Iowa, and Dana (Marty Knapp) Good of Savanna; 8 grandchildren, Alissa, Braken, Noah, Caleb, Maggie, Cohen, Tessa, and Averie; her step mother, Sara Van Zuiden of Fulton, Illinois; two brothers, Rodney Van Zuiden of Springfield, Illinois and Tracy (Kim) Van Zuiden of Stafford, Virginia; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Penny is preceded in death by her parents, Wayne and Leslye; a granddaughter, Andrea Miner in 2000; and a brother, Michael Van Zuiden.