Alice May Penewitt Henry was born February 15, 1931, and grew up on a farm in Mason City, Illinois, to Emmer and Emily Jane Penewitt. She died in Placerville, California, on November 2, 2021.
Alice graduated from Illinois College and then earned a Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis School of Social Work. Alice was a bright light, intelligent, loyal, and generous. For more than 45 years, Alice was a social worker supervisor for the El Dorado County Department of Human Services. She advised and mentored social workers with wisdom and kindness. Alice gave her whole heart and array of talents to her professional life, the community, and her many friends.
Late in life, she mentioned that she had thought of changing careers to study wildlife. She was a volunteer at Sierra Wildlife Rescue, where she had expertise in caring for and feeding baby birds. She had a flight cage at her home for birds on the mend to strengthen before being released.
Alice was an accomplished pianist who helped bring classical musicians to Placerville through Community Concert. A member of the Historical Society, she was a docent for the museums in Placerville, the Wakamatsu Center, and the Nature Conservancy. She was known for wearing beautiful clothes that she had made herself. She was an imaginative quilter, a fine needlework artist, and a great cook and baker who whipped up food for the many groups she took part in.
She also painted and repaired the buildings of the groups she participated in, including almost single handedly painting the exterior of the Quaker Meetinghouse in Davis, and frequently got up on the roof to clean out the gutters.
Alice was an adventurer who piloted a small plane and loved to hike around the local area. She enjoyed seeing live theater, but the library was a special place for her. Alice said, "Sometimes I enter the library, and it's like a book is calling me from its shelf. I find so many unexpected treasures that way." She was active in the Shakespeare Club. She was constantly learning and had begun attending a poetry writers' group. She seemed to have boundless energy. If you called Alice at 8:30 a.m., she had already baked a coffee cake, raked her driveway, replenished her bird feeders, and was ready to share book recommendations.
Alice had great stories to tell, but she was a great listener even more. She was always kind, and interested in others, and she enjoyed striking up conversations with people she didn't know from all walks of life.
Since the late 1980s, she faithfully drove from Placerville to Davis every Sunday to attend Davis Friends Meeting (Quakers), where she served the meeting in many positions. Alice was very intentionally an ‘attender’ rather than a ‘member’ of the Meeting for more than 30 years as for her it was not necessary to make a distinction. We miss her loving presence in our Davis Meeting.
The Davis Friends Meeting will hold a memorial event, anticipated to be in the spring.