Penny K. McMillan departed this life unexpectedly on Friday February 14, 2025. Penny was born on July 24, 1942, in Erie, Pennsylvania, a small town on the shores of Lake Erie. She graduated from Lorain High School in Lorain, Ohio, where she was a member of the National Honor Society and the foremost vocal group, the A Capella Choir, as well as the varsity cheerleading squad.

After graduation, Penny worked as an administrative assistant for BF Goodrich where she met her husband, James R. McMillan. They married on December 28, 1963, and lived in Columbus, Ohio while Jim completed his Ph.D. in Marketing. In 1970, they moved to Knoxville when Jim accepted a professorship at the University of Tennessee. They raised their three children in West Knoxville and were active members of Messiah Lutheran Church. Penny and Jim worked side by side in everything they did—raising a family, operating several businesses, and enjoying life with friends and family, including ballroom dancing, playing couples bridge, boating on Norris Lake, and RV traveling throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

After Jim’s retirement from the University of Tennessee, Jim and Penny moved to Norris Lake. Living on Norris reminded Penny of childhood summers she spent with her grandmother on Lake Erie. Penny demonstrated her creative side in her hobbies which included sewing for her family and doing cross stitch, growing roses that were greatly admired and most recently with her stained-glass art creations.

Penny was a devout Christian. While she was growing up, her father worked for the railroad, and they moved frequently. Penny would go to whatever church sent a bus around. At Messiah, Penny was an active member, holding the position of Council president and serving throughout the years in many capacities, including teller, altar guild, call committee, Stephen Minister, and taking communion to homebound church members. She was also active for several years as a delegate to the ELCA Southeastern Synod.

Penny was preceded in death by her parents, Clifford and Marjorie Fern Kellogg, and her husband, James R. McMillan. She is survived by her sons, Tod McMillan (Cheryl) and Greg McMillan (Summer); daughter, Monique Fisher (Mark); grandchildren, Conner Patterson (Dakota), Brynn McMillan, Ian Nagy, Danielle Mallery (Matt), Alex Stevens (Jaclyn), Emily Gorlewski (Harley), and Will Stevens; great-grandchildren, Fable, Cleo, Ivy, Noah, Oliver, MacLaren, Charlie, and Milo.

Celebration of Life to be held at Messiah Lutheran Church, 6900 Kingston Pike, Knoxville TN 37919 at 2pm on Saturday March 1, 2025. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Messiah Lutheran Church. The family thanks Gentry Griffey Funeral Chapel & Crematory for their assistance