It is with great sadness the family of Troy Lee Pennington, 52, of Austin, Texas,  announces he passed away unexpectedly following a tragic accident on March 12, 2023. He was born Aug. 22, 1970 in McMinnville and resided in Austin at the time of his death.  

Troy will be forever remembered for his unfailingly kind, loving nature, quick wit, sense of humor and extensive mechanical talents. His abundant love for his son Cole, and passion for Longhorn football, pet cats and karaoke brought true joy and happiness to his life.

He was one of those unique people befriending everyone he met and was the life of any party, entertaining everyone with his rapid-fire two-liners and storytelling. His love of family and friend gatherings was evidenced by his total engagement with everyone and the laughter in the room.

Troy was well respected in the high-tech semiconductor fab industry where he managed process control groups and, most recently, commissioned mechanical and electrical systems in newly constructed fabs with companies like Samsung, Wolfspeed and Tesla.

In his early years, he participated in multiple sports but settled on golf in high school where he captained the McAllen High School golf team. Over the years, his interests shifted to cars and motorcycles where his exceptional mechanical talents shone having rebuilt numerous Mustangs, his two Buick Grand Nationals (Burn Victim and Black Beauty) as well as classic cars such as his hopped-up 1940 Ford Coupe (Betsy). He was always generous with his time, making himself available to help folks with vehicle maintenance and repair tasks and lend a helping hand whenever called upon.

He was predeceased by his father, Clyde Pennington and uncles, George Whitaker and Joe Mack Pennington.  Survivors include his mother, Linda Hinkel; stepfather, Jim Hinkel; son, Cole Pennington; sister, Alyssa Hopkinson (Keith Hopkinson); nephews, Mason Belk and Bryer Belk; aunts, Pearl Morton, Wanda Sherwood and Winnie Jones; and uncle, Wendell Pennington.

As a son, father, brother and friend, Troy was very loved and will be deeply missed. The family is in the process of arranging a celebration of life for Troy and will announce details.  

Please memorialize your favorite stories about and pictures with Troy at https://everloved.com/life-of/troy-pennington/obituary/

Southern Standard

(McMinnville, Tenn.) July 21, 2023