Lila U Pettengell

Lila Urpi Pettengell of Pennington, NJ died peacefully after her third courageous battle with cancer, on April 5, 2024 at the age of 94. Lila was born on July 28, 1929 in Parkman, Ohio. She was the youngest of eight children born to Finnish immigrants. Lila was very proud of her Finnish heritage. She spent her childhood in Parkman and had many close friends with whom she stayed in contact with throughout her life. After graduating from Parkman High School, she attended Kent State University in Ohio and graduated with a degree in elementary education. She continued her career in Ft. Lauderdale FL teaching third grade, where she met her loving husband, Al Pettengell. They lived in several places including Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. They were happily married for over fifty years before his passing in 2006. Family meant so much to Lila! She was an amazing mom, grandmother, aunt, and great aunt leaving behind her two cherished daughters, Julie and Karin and their spouses, John Constable and Reg Robinson, whom she loved like her own sons. She also leaves behind her adored grandchildren, Joshua and Hayley Constable, and Sophie and Jillian Robinson. Her deep love of family extended to her beloved nieces, Carol Kilby and Alice Khalif and her grandnieces Jennifer Hosmer and Kari Khalif and all the family members and friends who have gone before her.

 Lila was known as an incredibly loving, kind, and gentle woman. Her love of teaching included thirty years in elementary school classrooms. She also enjoyed writing children’s stories and poetry for her family. She had a beautiful singing voice and sang in her youth and in church choirs over the years. She also loved to travel, and she had some wonderful trips with Al and many cruises with her daughters and their families. She was always up for a fun family vacation! She was quick to laugh and enjoyed making others laugh too. Lila attributed her long life to her nightly glass of wine and Saturday night chocolate martini. She was a woman of faith, she dearly loved her family and friends, her beloved dog Pal, the color pink, Lawrence Welk, and jigsaw puzzles that she spent hours working on in her later years. She wrote a poem that hangs on the walls of Julie’s and Karin’s homes. I think she would have liked us to share the last stanza with you.

“If I can change the hate to love,
The anger to compassion,
 And dare to do instead of dream
 According to my fashion
Then I have found my soul!”
- Lila Pettengell

 Lila’s life was a happy one and she will be missed by many. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the ASPCA or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. A graveside service will be held later this summer in Parkman, Ohio To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Lila U Pettengell, please visit our flower store.