David Edwin Pennington was born February 28, 1946 in Michoacan, Mexico to Roy and Esther Pennington. His parents were serving as independent missionaries sharing the gospel with the Mexican people. He came to know the Lord at an early age. He grew up as a native Spanish speaker and had a deep love and connection with the language.

When he was 14, he and his family moved to McAllen, Texas. After graduating from high school he enrolled in Pan American University in Edinburg, Texas where he majored in Biology and Chemistry. This was the time before air conditioning was common in buildings. There was a cute girl sitting in front of a fan and he used the excuse of wanting to cool off to sit down next to her and strike up a conversation. That girl, Kay, would become his wife and they were married on April 3, 1969.

In 1976 they moved to Idaho where he began his career as a botany, chemistry, biology and Spanish teacher. He loved sharing his knowledge and experiences with others and watching people light up when they discovered something new. He was fascinated by the natural world and seemed to know every plant, every tree, every type of rock out there. To him the entire world was a classroom full of interesting things just waiting to be uncovered. He was drawn to the mountains and wild places.

His approach to teaching and life in general was unconventional. Things like distilling potatoes to make ethanol fuel (which unfortunately led to the partial loss of a finger), building a canoe out of foam and nylon pantyhose, or eating wild onions and ant eggs to show us how to survive off the land. He had no interest in doing things just because that was the normal way of doing things. This made him a very interesting and unique person to be around and you'd rarely leave an interaction with him without learning something new. He is beloved by his students and family as a truly unique individual.

In 1978 he and Kay welcomed their first child, Shalom. In 1984, Jonathan joined the family followed by Kinnereth in 1986. He saw great value in having his kids be bilingual, so at home most conversations were done in Spanish. Home was always a place of learning and exploration. The kids loved having him read aloud to them and have fond memories of hearing Lord of the Rings, Little House on the Prairie, Robinson Crusoe, Anne of Green Gables, and Chronicles of Narnia to name just a few.

He loved poetry and music and wrote countless songs and poems through the years. He wrote a song for each of the kids and would perform it each year on their birthday. This may have led to a few eyerolls in their teenage years, but looked back on now with deep fondness.

He is survived by his wife Kay Pennington, sons Shalom (and Crishel) Pennington, Jonathan Pennington, daughter Kinnereth (and Glen) Coppinger, 12 grandchildren, sisters Mary Pennington and Alice Pennington, and extended family.

A funeral service will be held at 5pm on Thursday, July 29th at Alpine Bible Church, 310 E. State Street, Lehi, UT 84043. For those unable to attend in person, a live stream will be available online. Please email shalom777@gmail.com to request the video link.

In lieu of gifts or flowers, the family asks that you take a walk in the woods, read an interesting book, study a new language, learn a new skill, and then share those experiences with those around you. These are all things David loved to do and you can honor his memory by remembering him in this way.