Penny Zdrojewski
1957-05-29 2018-03-04
Penny A. Watkins-Zdrojewski, 60, of Champaign passed away at 12:45 p.m. Sunday, March 4, 2018, at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana.
Penny was born May 29, 1957, at Burnham Hospital in Champaign, the daughter of Dwight and Norma Jean Watkins (Thompson). She married Edward M. Zdrojewski, first on April 30, 2007, by a Mayan shaman on the beach at Playa del Carmen, Mexico, then in a civil ceremony May 25, 2007, at the Champaign County Courthouse, Urbana. Her husband survives.
Penny is also survived by a brother, David Watkins, his wife, Ellie and daughter, Lydia of Minneapolis, Minn., and numerous cousins and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Penny was raised in Armstrong, graduated from Urbana High School and earned a bachelor's degree in drama from Illinois Wesleyan University.
She worked for 30 years for the University of Illinois, first as a campus-wide media equipment specialist and then as a copyright clearance specialist in the Undergraduate Library.
After retiring from the university, she started a business, Happy PAWZ Pet Wellness, focusing on improving the wellness of companion animals through a technique promoting mind-body integrity. She was a certified Tellington TTouch practitioner and a member of the Pet Professional Guild.
Penny loved working with animals and enjoyed gardening, cooking, sewing, costuming and all sorts of crafts, as well as traveling with her husband. She was an avid film enthusiast.
Penny was cremated, and at her request, her ashes will be spread at dawn over the Caribbean Sea at Playa del Carmen.
Memorials may be made to the Champaign County Humane Society, 1911 E. Main St., Urbana, IL 61802.
Penny was born May 29, 1957, at Burnham Hospital in Champaign, the daughter of Dwight and Norma Jean Watkins (Thompson). She married Edward M. Zdrojewski, first on April 30, 2007, by a Mayan shaman on the beach at Playa del Carmen, Mexico, then in a civil ceremony May 25, 2007, at the Champaign County Courthouse, Urbana. Her husband survives.
Penny is also survived by a brother, David Watkins, his wife, Ellie and daughter, Lydia of Minneapolis, Minn., and numerous cousins and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Penny was raised in Armstrong, graduated from Urbana High School and earned a bachelor's degree in drama from Illinois Wesleyan University.
She worked for 30 years for the University of Illinois, first as a campus-wide media equipment specialist and then as a copyright clearance specialist in the Undergraduate Library.
After retiring from the university, she started a business, Happy PAWZ Pet Wellness, focusing on improving the wellness of companion animals through a technique promoting mind-body integrity. She was a certified Tellington TTouch practitioner and a member of the Pet Professional Guild.
Penny loved working with animals and enjoyed gardening, cooking, sewing, costuming and all sorts of crafts, as well as traveling with her husband. She was an avid film enthusiast.
Penny was cremated, and at her request, her ashes will be spread at dawn over the Caribbean Sea at Playa del Carmen.
Memorials may be made to the Champaign County Humane Society, 1911 E. Main St., Urbana, IL 61802.