Penilee Heather Borthwick, third of 6 siblings, was born in Winooski, VT. After her school years, she moved to Springfield, MA, where she was employed in textile manufacturing and machining. Married to Gent Lam in 1974, they started their family of daughter Dawn and son Danny.

After a decade in Springfield, they moved to Westfield, MA. She elected to be a stay at home mom during the school years. As her children finished school, she returned to the workplace and found her niche in retail. Regardless of where she worked, she quickly was recognized as the fastest cashier in the store. It didn’t take customers long to get in her line, even if other cashiers had shorter lines.

She had a passion for knitting: newborn outfits, baby blankets, afghans, and especially Irish knit sweaters. She also had a keen interest in ceramics, spending many enjoyable nights with friends at weekly ceramics night. Over the years she had a fondness for Precious Moments figurines. Her collection grew and Gent built cabinets to house them. It took years to achieve her goal of a Christmas tree fully decorated with Precious Moments ornaments.

Regardless of her interests through the years, she always had an affinity with children. Even after her children had grown up, her house always had someone who was being watched after school while waiting for her parent to come home from work, someone who was being taken care of because the parent, who was a single mom, was working, or someone who needed a ride to soccer practice. “Penny”, “Aunt Penny”, or “Auntie” treated them as if they were her own.

With great encouragement from her father and uncle, she was able to recover from polio at a young age and achieve a life without using braces or wheelchair. This brought out a trait of determination and resilience which stayed with her throughout her life. Married for 51 years and age 79, her body is tired and must rest, but her spirit carries on.

A memorial service will be held July 12, from 1:00-3:00, at Firtion-Adams Funeral Services in Westfield, MA.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Westfield Food Pantry