Local businessman passes suddenly

McCreary County lost a prominent citizen, businessman, and musician with the sudden passing from this life of 57-year old Jerry Lynn Pennington on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.  Pennington, who considered Stearns his home, moved to McCreary County in 1982 and graduated from McCreary Central High School in 1984.  After graduating, Pennington was proud to become a U. S. Veteran, serving in the National Guard from 1984-1990.  In 1991, following an eight year friendship, Pennington married the love of his life, Libby Waters Pennington.  He later became the doting father of the couple’s two daughters, Lauren and Lyndsey.  Despite his success as a businessman and his passion for playing music, Pennington’s favorite roles were, without a doubt, that of husband and father.

Pennington heard the gospel as a child at a Church of the Nazarene in northern Kentucky, and was later baptized into the Baptist faith. He attended churches: Whitley City First Baptist, Stearns First Baptist, and Resurrection Life Christian Center.

As owner of McCreary County’s Hometown Medical Supply, Pennington took great pride in providing quality healthcare and tended to patients throughout the county with empathy and skill.  Those who depended on Pennington for oxygen and other medical needs knew they could depend on Jerry.

“Jerry worked in the medical field and gave wholeheartedly and without hesitation to his patients,” longtime family friend Anita Coffey Sutton said.  “It didn’t matter if it was snowing and other traffic wasn’t moving, if Jerry’s patients needed oxygen, he was going to get it there. He worked selflessly helping people without others ever knowing. I know of multiple times that I called him on a weekend, and it didn’t matter that it was also his time off.   Jerry always came to help. My friend can rest easy, because he earned those wings. He always made ‘helping others’ look easy for the rest of us. Jerry was motivation, simply through his acts of kindness.”

Pennington was also known by many for his deep love of music. He played in many bands, including but not limited to: Backwoods Expedition, Crossroads, Sneaky Pete, Wild River, Joe’s Garage, and Rusty and the Greenhorns, among others. His special connection with and love for his bandmate brothers was lifelong and will stand the test of time.

“Jerry filled in as drummer, lead guitar, and lead and harmony vocals at the Uptown Opry,” fellow musician Hap Strunk recalled.  “He brought in a great list of materials we hadn’t been doing, and the audience as well as the band, enjoyed it!  Jerry and his guys were always well rehearsed and ready to go.  We all loved Jerry and enjoyed making music with him. Life, like an ocean, has its tide.  We often find ourselves drifted apart, as was the case with Jerry and our Opry show. He was one of the best people and one of the most talented guys we worked with.  Jerry will never be forgotten, and the world is a little dimmer without him.  However, now, it’s his time for the best gig of them all.”