Penni Jo Guthrie, 65, of Union City died tragically Friday, March 6, 2026 at her home from injuries sustained from a tornado that destroyed her home.
A funeral will be held on Friday, March 13, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.. at Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation, 1276 Tate Trail, Union City, MI. Pastor Pete Payne from the Union City Assembly of God Church will officiate. Interment will follow at Sherwood Cemetery.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, March 12, 2026 from 2:00-8:00 p.m., also at the Lighthouse in Union City.
Penni was born September 12, 1960 in Coldwater, Michigan to William and Carolyn (Sowle) Palmerton. She was raised in Union City and graduated from Union City High School with the Class of 1978. She was primarily a homemaker, but had worked as a waitress at several area restaurants, as a caregiver at an AFC at Turtle Lake, and was busy as a zookeeper at her home. She had lots of pets through the years, including 27 tropical birds! She married Robert Lee Guthrie on October 4, 2014. He preceded her in death on January 13, 2026. Penni had lived in the Union City area all her life except for a few years she spent in Ormond Beach, Florida from 2010-2012.
Feisty, protective, and strong willed are just a few ways Penni’s family will remember her. She was just one of those “good people” that you could always count on in life. She had a great love for animals, including bald eagles and white tigers. She was always watching live webcam feeds of the eagles in their nests. She spent a lot of her time tending to her birds and was very involved with the Birds & Beaks Rescue and Rehab organization.
Penni was always very family oriented and loved to host the annual Fourth of July party at her home. Penni was well known in the crafting world. She sold crafts at many local craft shows. Her other hobby was baking. She was a great baker and many have received a fresh pumpkin roll from her kitchen over the years, and oh what a treat that was.
Left to mourn Penni’s passing are her children, Russell Iobe of Vicksburg, Jason (Courtney) Iobe of Burlington, Josh (Katie) Hoppe of Vicksburg, Evan (Tori) Hoppe of Ceresco, and Andrew (Amanda Houck) Guthrie of Homer; her 16 grandchildren; her one great-grandchild; her siblings, Keith (Zebbra) Palmerton of Union City, Steve Palmerton of Girard Township, and Marilyn (Roy) Hanson of Battle Creek; her step-mother Gloria Grandy of Coldwater; several cousins; as well and many nieces and nephews.
In addition to her husband, Penni was preceded in death by her parents, William Palmerton and Carolyn Grandy; her step-father, Ralph Grandy; and her brother, Bill Palmerton.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the Lighthouse Victims of Tornado Fund, which can be found at www.lighthousefuneral.com or you can mail donations payable to Lighthouse, P.O. Box 161, Union City, MI 49094.
Please make a point to share your photos of Penni on her obituary page at www.lighthousefuneral.com, as all her personal photos have been destroyed by the tornado.
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