Paul Penczner's Obituary
PAUL JOSEPH PENCZNER, age 93 (born 09/17/1916, in Hungary), died Sunday, June 27, 2010, of old age, at home, after a brief illness. Mr. Penczner (of Penczner’s Fine Art Studio, in Midtown – since 1954) was one of the most prominent artists and art instructors in Memphis for decades, painting many innovative works of fine art and cityscapes and landscapes of locations around town, and around the world. He also was well-known as a portrait painter, with portraits ranging from the famous to the colorful – and one of his portraits received a prize at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. In the (late) 1980’s, Pope John Paul II accepted his drawings of Jesus Christ and the Twelve Apostles into the Vatican Museum of Art , where they are on permanent display in the Vatican Library. Presidents including most recently Bush and Obama, in this decade, have accepted his Americana-themed paintings into the White House collection. In 1995, June 15 was officially proclaimed “Paul Penczner Day”, by the Mayors of Memphis and Shelby County. Mr. Penczner leaves behind his German-born wife of almost 60 years, Jolanda, also of Memphis. He was the father of the late Peter Penczner, and leaves behind two sons, Paul, an international attorney, and Marius, a media consultant; three daughters-in-law, Jung-Mi (Rosita), Nancy and Debbie; four grandsons, Steven, Anthony, Paul and Andrew, and other family members, and good friends, acquired over the years since immigrating to Memphis with Jolanda, in 1951. A Catholic Funeral Mass will be held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Thursday, July 1 at 11 a.m., with visitation with the family taking place there from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. immediately preceding the Mass. Mr. Penczner’s ashes will be interred privately at Memorial Park Cemetery in East Memphis. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to theSt. Jude Childrens Research Hospital (Tribute Account No. 26166195) via a check payable to the above (acct. no. in memo line) and mailed to Box 1000, Department 142, Memphis, TN 38148, or via phone to 800-822-6344, with reference to such account no.
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