Remembering Penelope Joan Duhring

Penelope Joan Duhring passed away February 29, 2024, at home in Round Hill, VA. She was 90 years old. She was affectionately known as “Penny” and “Granny” to her family and friends. Penny was born on January 28, 1934, in Bermuda. She was one of two children born to Thomas Christopher Smith and Joan Isabel (Martin) Smith.

Penny was well-traveled at a young age flying alone to attend Upper Chine boarding school in England and to visit the United States as a teenager. She attended McGill University in Montreal, Canada where she earned a degree in Sociology and History.

After college, she worked as a typist for the Bermuda News Bureau and the University of Pennsylvania News Bureau. She married John Lewis (Jack) Duhring in 1956. They raised three children while living in Kentucky and briefly in Hawaii while Jack served as a physician in the US Army.

Penny and Jack also lived in Toledo, OH and Melbourne, FL. Her husband Jack passed away in 1995. She moved to Virginia in 2002 to remain close to her family.

Penny was admired throughout her long life for being highly intuitive, kind, and well-intentioned with a relentless desire to help others. She served in numerous volunteer roles wherever she lived.

She helped her physician husband deliver care to underserved communities in remote locations of Hawaii and Appalachia. She volunteered as a swim team parent, Boy and Girl scout assistant leader, school library assistant, hospital gift shop and patient services volunteer, and she delivered Meals on Wheels in Florida and Virginia. She also served in many volunteer church roles.

Her most recent volunteer positions included the Purcellville Public Library and the Blue Ridge Hospice Thrift Shop where she helped manage the original Book Nook and helped transition the book collection to a new location. Her knowledge of history and passion for reading served her well as she sorted and organized an endless stream of used books to put them back on the shelf for readers of all ages.

She was recognized as the 2013 Blue Ridge Hospice Thrift Shop Volunteer of the Year for her contributions to the community.

Penny also enjoyed being outdoors, gardening, feeding backyard birds, knitting, and spending time surrounded by her family who admired and loved her dearly.

She is survived by her children Christopher Duhring (Terry), Susan Duhring, and Karen Duhring (Dan Sennett), her four grandchildren William Duhring (Meghan O’Donoghue), John Duhring (Laura), Elizabeth Rein (Kevin), and Catherine Boatright (Max), five great-grandchildren, her brother Christopher Smith (Alison Rice) of Toronto, Canada, plus two nephews and two nieces.

A celebration of her life will be held at Hall Funeral Home, Purcellville, VA on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 11am. Memorial donations may be made to Blue Ridge Hospice or a library of your choice.

Arrangements by Hall Funeral Home, Purcellville, VA. Please visit www.hallfh.com to express online condolences to the family.