Obituaries

Clarence Frank Penrose ‘Frank,’ to those who knew him, departed to join his Lord and Savior on Friday, September 19, 2008. He left behind his wife, Patricia, son John and his wife Angie, and treasured grandchildren, Andrew, Alexandria and Alyssa.Frank was born in Van Nuys, California on December 10, 1940 to Clarence and Josephine Penrose. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley, graduating from Reseda High School in 1958. The United States Marine Corps dominated the next three years of Frank’s life; his first duty station was a Guard Co. in Guam. He remained close to his Marine buddies from the 3rd MAW Band at El Toro, CA, who knew him as ‘Hawkeye’.After their wedding in Memphis in 1968, Frank and Pat lived briefly in Northridge before moving to Ventura, where John was born.The foundry business, specifically that involving aerospace parts, provided a variety of work experiences for Frank after his honorable discharge from the USMC. In the summer of 1969 he was offered a job at Golden State Castings in Port Hueneme. After several years there, he began working at Ventura Castings in Newbury Park.In 1978, the Penrose family moved to Santa Paula, and in 1979 Frank began his own company, Aurora Casting and Engineering. The company, based in Santa Paula, continues to thrive, now under the management of John Penrose. In 1994 Aurora Engineering was recognized as Small Business Supplier of the Year by MacDonald-Douglas.After several years of increasingly severe cardiac difficulties, Frank received a gift of life -- a new heart, transplanted from a 31-year-old donor.