Guest Column: Remembering the Times

I don’t remember the first time I met Penny Peacock O’Connell - I just know it was at the Gadsden County Times.

I was worried about someone new joining the team, even though I was fairly new myself.

For months it had been just me, former editor Cheri Harris and Mary Williams, the former office manager.

I remember Mrs. Mary saying, “I think she’ll fit right in.”

And she did.

We were a little work family and Mrs. Penny quickly became one of my favorite people.

Our desks were right next to each other, so we would talk for hours when we were in the office working.

We also would tag team and go out in the field together.

I would cover an event, and she would go and support the event because she had more than likely sold an ad for it.

As Cheri used to say, Mrs. Penny could sell the snot out of some ads.

I remember so many random, wonderful memories with her.

I think my favorite was when we found out her daughter Kaitlyn and her husband Trey were expecting their first child.

Mrs. Penny always came to work with a smile on her face, and her smile could light up a room; that day I could see the excitement in her face. I could feel it vibrating around her.

She literally looked like she was about to explode from excitement.

So finally, out of the blue she said, “I’ve got to tell ya’ll something, but you’ve got to promise not to say anything about it around mom.”

She told us Kaitlyn was pregnant with whom we get to know as baby Raiford, but Kaitlyn wasn’t ready to reveal it to the rest of her family.

She said she just had to tell someone, because she was so excited, she was going to burst if she didn’t.

And of course, her secret was safe with us.

When I came back to work for the Times last October, we ran into each other at the Coca-Cola mural unveiling, and we immediately hugged.

She was the first person to welcome me back.

The last time I saw Mrs. Penny in person was at PorchFest back in May.

I was asking her about Kaitlyn and her family, and she said Kaitlyn was expecting her third baby, and was due in August.

Who would’ve known at that time she would never get to meet Kaitlyn’s precious baby girl.

While working with her, she would always tell us about her children and grandbabies, but

Kaitlyn and Raiford were the only ones I got a chance to meet.

She had a blended family, but the way she would talk about them, you wouldn’t know it.

It was obvious she loved them all the same.

I found out Mrs. Penny was sick on Facebook and from that moment, I prayed for her every single morning when I opened my eyes, and every night before I went to sleep.

I prayed she would come home to her family, and that she would get to hold her new granddaughter and live a long life and get to watch all of her grandchildren grow up and become parents.

I try to be specific when I pray.

For the first couple of weeks, every day I would open up the Facebook app and immediately tap on the search bar.

Penny Peacock O’Connell was always at the top, because I would check her page for updates before I would go to bed.

I would hold my breath and pray for good news as I scrolled down her page.

At first, she seemed to be making progress, and then a setback.

After the first couple of weeks, praying for good news turned into praying for no bad news.

As many know, Mrs. Penny died on Sunday, September 5 after more than a month-long battle with COVID-19 and it’s after effects.

I could probably fill half of this paper with memories of her, but I’ll share just one more.

When Hurricane Irma hit in 2017 thousands of people passed through Gadsden County while evacuating.

Mrs. Penny lived on Highway 90.

She received a knock on her door, and when she answered someone was standing outside with a dog and asked if he belonged to her; he didn’t but she took the dog in.

She said she couldn’t leave the poor thing out there in the storm.

After a few weeks of trying to find the dog’s owner with no luck, she decided to keep him, and named him Elvis - actually now that I think about it, I’m not sure if it was her or her mother that named the dog Elvis...but that’s just the type of person she was.

She was probably the kindest, most loving person I’ve ever met, with the biggest heart.

I know Mrs. Penny loved her family, her country, Quincy, and most of all God.

I just hope she knew how much she was loved in return, and the magnitude of how much she will be missed.

Erin Hill - Gadsden County News Service

Guest Column: Remembering the Times

Guest Column: A Coke and a Smile

Unemployment at 5.9 % in Gadsden County

Unemployment at 5.9 % in Gadsden County

Recommended

Senate proposes election law change

Obituary – Pearlie Mae Kincy

Popular News

Newsletter

Category

Site Links

About Us

Welcome Back!

Create New Account!

Retrieve your password

Are you sure want to unlock this post?

Are you sure want to cancel subscription?

Guest Column: Remembering the Times

Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Gadsden County Times.

Subscribe

Guest Column: A Coke and a Smile

Unemployment at 5.9 % in Gadsden County

Unemployment at 5.9 % in Gadsden County

Recommended

Senate proposes election law change

Obituary – Pearlie Mae Kincy

Popular News

Newsletter

Category

Site Links

About Us

Welcome Back!

Create New Account!

Retrieve your password

Are you sure want to unlock this post?

Are you sure want to cancel subscription?