Cancer snatched the life of Penny Apple Trosper long before her journey was done. She had more roses to plant, more places to travel, more afghans to knit and more love to give. This devoted mother, sister, aunt, daughter and friend faced the end of her life without complaint, with tenacity, strength, courage and grace before her passing on Sunday, November 2, 2014 at the age of 65.
Though she grew up in Plano, Penny lived many years at the Apple Place in Fairview, the residence of her grandparents, where she loved to sit in her easy chair and look out on a pasture filled with cattle. She was a quiet person with a sense of mirth and joy, particularly when it came to her son, Eric and his wife Lisa and their menagerie of animals and her niece Kellie Ehler and family. She and her brother Bill, who also lives on the Apple Place, kept tabs on each other and made certain that their cats and dogs were taken care of when one or the other was away.
Penny followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a top-level golfer, winning the club championship numerous times at Hurricane Creek Country Club. Like her mother she was unflappable when the pressure was on, often chipping in from off the green for birdies.
Some may or may not know this but Penny was a closet “rocker.” She didn’t have a melodious voice but she’d wail along with her favorite bands, including Elton John, Pink Floyd and The Eagles, to name a few. A few weeks before she died, she went to the stage version of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” with a group of friends that have gathered for over 10 years and proudly call themselves Wine & Women. She wasn’t feeling that good but she didn’t want to disappoint these special friends.
Penny was an avid reader—a pastime that was passed on by her Dad, Dr. George (Bill) W. Apple, Jr. Each summer, he required that his children read two hours daily from books of his choice. Penny often said the words danced off the pages into her brain and lingered there forever. This love of reading eventually led Penny to pursue her Master's of Library Science degree in mid-life and a job as McKinney’s Technical Services Librarian, which she held for 17½ years.
Penny always had a sense of wanderlust, a hankering for travel engendered by cross-country trips with her sisters and Granddaddy and Granny Apple. Her Dad and mother, Addie Bob, also packed the kids in the car and traveled often to Ruidoso, New Mexico and Galveston, where Penny was born on January 25th, 1949 where her Dad was attending the University of Texas Medical School.
Once her son, Eric, was old enough to travel they set out to explore America and, oh the adventures they had! Hers was an incomparable mother’s love—a divorced, single mom raising a brilliant youngster who dove into life with a singular style and aplomb. She took great joy in visiting Eric and Lisa at their home in Oklahoma, talking and laughing with them and playing with their dogs. She loved sharing cooking recipes and gardening tips with Lisa, whom she welcomed into the family with open arms.
Another light that shone bright in Penny’s world was her niece Kellie, Brother Bill’s daughter. Kellie also grew up on the Apple Place and she and Eric are like brother and sister. Penny adored Kellie and, almost two years ago, Kellie’s son, Brody, was born. He was like a meteor streaking into Penny’s slowly dimming life.
After the passing of her Mother in January, 2000, Penny became the family matriarch and she took that role seriously. She was the best sister one could ever wish for and her siblings hope that they, too, reciprocated that constant love and concern.
Lastly, Penny was a steadfast friend, a quiet presence to her Wine & Women buddies and her lifelong best friend, Cara Lockett, whom she met at Austin College. Though many years were spent apart geographically, they were ever close in their hearts. Cara and Penny traveled far and wide throughout Europe and the United States and, finally, on a last soulful journey to Portugal in April. One can only imagine what Penny was thinking when looking out her hotel window in Portugal onto a beautiful sea. Her words, “It can’t get much better than this.”
At that time she had been fighting Stage IV lung cancer for a year and a half. By early October, it had metastasized into her brain. She was defiant and hopeful until the end, ordering clothes for a trip to Savannah. Would that we could all be so brave in the face of such a cruel and vicious disease. This world has lost one of its sweetest souls—a loving mother, sister, aunt, daughter and friend.
She is survived by her son, Eric Trosper and his wife Lisa of Newalla, Oklahoma and her siblings, Ginny Apple of Barkhamsted, Connecticut, Nancy Apple of Squeezepenny, TX, Bill Apple of Fairview, TX and her niece Kellie Ehler, her husband Terry and their son, Brody of Fairfax, Oklahoma. She was predeceased by her parents, Dr. George (Bill) W. Apple, Jr. and his wife Addie Bob Jackson Apple of Plano.
She was grateful for her family and friends who comforted her and lingered with her during her final days. She especially was thankful for the kind care offered by her friends Karla Apple and Kim Kransi.
Visitation will be on Friday, November 7th from 6 to 8 p.m. at Turrentine Jackson Morrow, Highway 75, Exit 38A, Ridgeview Drive in McKinney. A Service of Celebration will be held there on Saturday, November 8th at 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Cancer Research Institute, 55 Broadway, Suite 1802, New York, NY 10006 (www.cancerresearch.org).