Penner, Richard H. (1948-2004)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2004 Jan 26 p. 1, 3

Birth date: 1948

text of obituary:

Uzbekistan plane crash claims MB worker's life

By Megan E. Roberts
MBMSI News Service

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — Richard H. Penner, a humanitarian worker serving in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan with MBMS International, died Jan. 13 in a plane crash. He was 56.

Penner died along with 31 other passeners and five flight crew members when a Yak-40 commercial plane went down in thick fog near Tashkent's airport, killing all on board.

The plane was flying from the Uzbek border town of Termez, a hub for humanitarian aid going into northern Afghanistan.

Penner was a member of North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren Church in Winnipeg, Man.

He and his wife Ann served in Central Asia for more than 25 years.

Penner's death was "a great loss, not only to his family but also to the people he served so well," said Harold Ens, general director of MBMS International, the MB mission agency. "My hope is that his example will challenge others to give their lives in service as Richard did."

Penner and his wife, Ann, Along with their three young children, moved to Afghanistan in 1978 to serve with International Assistance mission. What began as a two-year term on behalf of MBMS International turned into more than 25 years of service.

While in Afghanistan, the Penners worked with medical projects, including setting up a prosthetic clinic and an eye hospital.

After serving in various administrative capacities within IAM, the Penners moved to Uzbekistan in 1993 to serve with World Concern, an international Christian humanitarian agency. Last year they moved back to Afghanistan, where Penner was serving as the country manager and overseeing a food-production project at the time of his death.

"Richard was an expert on the culture and politics of Afghanistan and the entire Central Asia region," according to a statement from World Concern. "He was well known both to government officials and to non-governmental workers throughout the region, and was appreciated for his wide experience, wise insights and sense of humor."

In a letter written a few years ago, Penner said: "Living and working in parts of the former Soviet Union is a challenge that is hard to explain. I have gained a new appreciation of what it means to live on the edge."

He is survived by his wife, Ann; and their children, Betty-Anne and Matthew Siebert, Rebecca and Dennis Warkentin and Daniel and Lorilee Penner, all of Winnipeg.