Avon L. Pinegar's Obituary
Avon Lee Pinegar (Penny) of Tacoma, Washington passed away the morning of September 20th, 2010 in his home. Penny was born Nov. 26, 1918 to Avon and Vivian Pinegar in Jackson City Missouri. The family moved to Kansas when he was one year old, then to Oklahoma when he was seven. When he was seventeen he moved to Montana to work on his uncles dairy farm. Penny joined the Marine Corps in 1938 and retired as a Drill Sergeant in 1946. While in the Marines he met his wife Billee Merridith in San Diego, California. They were married on June 28th, 1943 in Lima Arizona. After forty happy years of marriage, Billy died in 1983. After retiring from the Marine Corps, Penny spent some time bartending in San Diego, California. Demand for good bartenders was so high at that time, he worked at four different Hotels in two years. One of which was the famous El Cortez Hotel. In 1948 he and his wife moved back to Montana where he bought and ran a successful saw mill. In 1955 while Penny was out of town on business, the saw mill caught fire and burned to the ground. Penny was devastated, but he managed to pay all his employees what he owed and was thankful no one was hurt in the fire. After this blow, Penny went to work for the Western Pine Association in Chicago as an inspector. He spent a year and a half traveling to a different city almost every day and saving money to make the move back to Montana. Back in Montana with the money he'd saved and money borrowed from a long time friend, he bought a car dealership. He ran the dealership for three years but never made much of a proffit and didn't enjoy it much. He heard the man just outside of town with 640 acres might consider trading his land for the dealership, He called this a B.S. deal, but when all was said and done the trade was made. Penny held on to the land for 6 months, then sold for a substantial profit in 1961. From 1961 to 1965 he worked as a hospital administrator for a nursing home in Montana. In 1965 Penny moved to Tacoma Washington and went to work for the Washington Marshal's Office. For 5 years he transported prisoners. In 1970 he went to work for Ule Construction where he had a hand in building a number of fire stations and schools in the Tacoma area. In 1975 Penny went to work for the Tacoma Housing Authority as the Supervisor of Maintenance and progressed to the position of Executive Director in 1980. At the time, the organization was in debt, but with his leadership, he not only brought it back into the black, but also won the "Housing Authority Outstanding Award" in 1984. He retired from the Tacoma Housing Authority 1989, but continued to work to provide housing for senior and low income citizens through the THA Development Association until the time of his death.
Penny's hobbies included hunting, fishing, and floating the rivers in Alaska. He took pride in keeping a beautiful yard and at Christmas always had the brightest house on the block. He enjoyed preparing a Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings for employees and family at THA for many years. He got a kick out of kids and loved animals of all kinds. He rescued many animal orphans including a black bear, raccoon, and mountain lion.
Penny is survived by his brother Robert Pinegar and sister Lucerne (also Penny) Sumpter of Oklahoma.
What’s your fondest memory of Avon?
What’s a lesson you learned from Avon?
Share a story where Avon's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Avon you’ll never forget.
How did Avon make you smile?