Penne Huxtable

Penne Jo (Decker) Huxtable, 68, formerly of Park Ridge and Mount Prospect, IL, passed away August 27, 2016, in Adel, IA. Born October 12, 1947, in Chicago, Penne was preceded in death by her father, Halford Brandon; her mother, Patricia (Donahue); and her husband, Kemp. She is survived by her daughters: Jamie (Adam) Mullendore and Courtney (Rylan) Vos; stepchildren: Robert (Ellen), Rich (Anne), and Dave (Emily) Huxtable, and Shirley (Gary) Haselow; siblings: Trish (Bob) Duh and Dr. Michael (Rebecca) Decker; and 10 grandchildren: Eric, Amy, Adam, Nathan, Kyle, Tim, Trinity, Ashlynd, Clara, and Dean.

Penne graduated from Ela Vernon High School and studied journalism at Butler University before leaving school to tour the country with Up with People. An expert saleswoman, Penne spent much of her career as owner of the Incentive Aides Co., founded by her father, and later went on to work as purchasing manager with her sister, Trish, at Certif-A-Gift. Her love of music remained prevalent throughout her life as she spent summers with friends and family at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, IL, followed the Chad Mitchell Trio when they performed on their annual tours, and accompanied the His Command Performance youth choir on mission trips around the world.

An avid baseball fan, Penne was known to spend much of her time at Wrigley Field in her younger years and even went on to become president of the Lou Brock Fan Club. In her adult life, she enjoyed playing softball for the Wheeling Park District and coaching her daughter Jamie’s youth softball team. She also volunteered to co-lead her daughter Courtney’s Girl Scout troop, which led to many years spent as a trainer for other troop leaders. She was an active member of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Des Plaines throughout her life and, in her later years, she took part in writing the monthly newsletter.

Visitation is Thursday, September 8 from 5–8 p.m., at G.L. Hills Funeral Home, 745 Graceland Ave., Des Plaines, IL. A service celebrating Penne's life will be held at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 766 Graceland Ave., Des Plaines, IL, on Friday, September 9 at 11 a.m., with interment to follow on Saturday, September 10 at 10:30 a.m. at Graceland Cemetery in Mineral Point, WI.

Memorial contributions may be directed to First Congregational United Church of Christ in Des Plaines, IL; Adel Acres in Adel, IA; or Silvercrest at Woodlands Creek in Clive, IA. Condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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