Rodney "Rod" Penuel

Rodney “Rod” Penuel, of Enterprise AL passed away unexpectedly on Dec 13, 2023. Rod was 74 years old and the son of TC and Ruby Nell (Grimes) Penuel. Rod graduated from Enterprise HS then continued his education, graduating from Auburn University with a degree in forestry. He said he knew at 12 years of age when he earned a boy scout badge that he wanted to be a forester and never even considered another occupation. He had a successful career working in forestry beginning in Charleston, SC until his retirement in Birmingham where he was a forester for the State of Alabama. After retirement Rod moved back to Enterprise and reconnected with a group of buddies from high school. They enjoyed reminiscing about their great 1960’s antics. He loved nature, flowers, the woods, and anything that grew, or sometimes didn’t. Rod was President of the Coffee County Master Gardner’s and was immensely proud of the projects they were working on. Traveling and Shagg Dancing were his favorite past times. He made many friends over the years through the BeachShaggers of Birmingham and enjoyed reconnecting with them after moving back to Enterprise post-retirement. Rod loved history and exploring the world. He enjoyed both domestic and international travel and did most of it by himself until 2019 when he met up with Judy Penuel the tour director on one of his trips. They found they shared the love of travel and many other interests in life and married in 2020. This was life changing for Rod as he had never been married and now had a full family. He and Judy enjoyed many wonderful trips during their short years together and had many more planned. Although Rod had no siblings, he was blessed with many cousins on both the Grimes and Penuel side and treasured each of them. He is survived by his wife Judy Penuel, stepson Taylor Noble and stepdaughter Heather Smith. Funeral Services will be held at 2:00PM, Sunday, December 17, 2023 at Searcy Funeral Home and Crematory Chapel with Dr. Danny Wiggins officiating. Burial will follow in Meadowlawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 1:00 PM until service time. Those who wish to remember Rod in a special way, make a gift in his memory to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Coffee County PO Box 311933, Enterprise, AL 36331. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Rodney "Rod" Penuel, please visit our flower store.