Penny Watkins-Zdrojewski

 Penny A. Watkins-Zdrojewski, 60, of Champaign, passed away at 12:45 p.m. Sunday, March 4, at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana.

A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Saturday, March 17, at Channing-Murray Foundation at the corner of Oregon and Matthews streets on the University of Illinois campus in 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 in Urbana. Her husband survives.

Penny also is survived by a brother, David Watkins, and his wife, Ellie, and daughter, Lydia, of Minneapolis, MN, and numerous cousins and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Penny was raised in Armstrong, IL; 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 campuswide 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 Tellngton TTouch practitioner and a member of the Pet Professional Guild.

Penny loved working with animals, and she 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.

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