Penny Blotsky

On August 6, 2019, Penny Blotsky, loving mom, grandma, sister, and friend passed away at the age of 58 after a short battle with cancer.

Services will be held at 10:30 am Thursday, August 15, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 106 Osage Ave., Bismarck, with Rev. Craig Schweitzer officiating.  Burial is at Fairview Cemetery, Bismarck.

Visitation will be held from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Wednesday, August 14, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a prayer service and a time to share memories will begin at 7:00 pm.

Penny was born on August 21, 1960 in Minot, ND to Arlyn and Carol Hendrickson. Penny graduated from Bismarck High School in 1978.

In 1980 Penny was married and although the marriage didn’t work out she always said it was worth it to get her beautiful daughter Jesse. Penny and Jesse were not just mother daughter, they were best friends, two peas in a pod, and you didn’t get one without the other.

During high school Penny started working at Basin Electric through the Co-op program at BHS. She worked there for 10 years before deciding to go back to College. She graduated from Montana State University in 1991 with a Criminal Justice Degree and from the ND Law Enforcement Academy in 1993.

Penny started working at the ND Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in 1992. During her 23 year career as a Parole Officer she worked closely with the Parole-Pardon Boards, Victim Services, and Interstate Compact. Her most passionate and longest running role was her work with the Drug Court Program where she served as a Probation Officer and Coordinator. Her commitment and dedication to the individuals in the program went above and beyond. In 2015, Penny retired from the DOCR. After retirement, Penny worked at the YMCA daycare as a receptionist so she could see her granddaughter more. She then went on to work at Target for a few years where she really enjoyed the people she worked with. In April, Penny returned to work at the DOCR in legal records and was so excited to be back and to see all the great people she had missed during her retirement. Her knowledge, expertise, intuition, and sense of humor will be greatly missed.  

Penny loved being at the lake floating on an air mattress, rescuing lost dogs, playing tennis with Jesse and recently her grandkids, going to the Y to Zumba, lift weights, or play basketball with her grandson, planting flowers, dancing and concert going, and most of all watching her grandkids grow up. She was their biggest fan and never missed a baseball game or a piano recital.

Penny is survived by her daughter, Jesse (Todd) Huber, Bismarck, her precious grandchildren, Dylan and Alayna; her brother, Randy Hendrickson (Vickie); Columbus, Ohio; and many close friends and relatives.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Carol (Michalenko); and father, Arlyn Hendrickson.