Penelope A. Hintz

~Penelope, the Dream Weaver~

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl named Penelope Ann Hintz. Penelope was known early on for her cleverness, her laugh, her kindness and her sass. Those who loved her had many names of affection for her-- Nella Bug, Penny, Poppy, and more. She was a daughter, a grandchild, a cousin, a friend, and a spark of joy for people she only met once.

Her short life was a journey that led her from a small town in Montana, to the city of Portland, OR and finally to a whimsical carousel. You see, Penelope Nella Bug Penny Poppy Ann Hintz was a sweet magical child whose special talent was weaving together the hearts and joy of those who knew her. With each belly laugh and big bug hug she collected a bit of red heart string from her family and friends and she used those heart strings to weave together a magical cloak. This cloak kept her safe, gave her comfort, and reminded her of the prayers supporting her journey. When she left her cozy small town to the big city a thousand miles away, the cloak reached just passed her shoulders. While in Portland, she met so many more people and touched so many hearts that was able to weave her cloak to her ankles. She was wrapped in love and it was good.

As with any courageous tale of a brave bold child, there was a time where sweet Penelope had to venture into the dark unknown. Her parents Tiffany and Danny, stepped into the darkness with her and as a team they took each step with courage, love, and faith. Penelope still managed to weave more love into her cloak during this time as she met doctors and nurses that cared for her, but as she went forward the darkness grabbed and poked at her like scraggly twisted trees. Eventually her woven cloak was snagged by the darkness and a single thread was pulled out. Her cloak began to unravel.

Penelope and her team continued walking and their loved ones watched as they were overwhelmed by the darkness. Fortunately, those left behind saw the single red heart string of her unraveling cloak and followed them into the darkness using the string as their guide. It was a long scary difficult journey for everyone with this small family leading the way but the prayers for a miracle, for peace, and for love echoed in the darkness giving everyone hope.

Sweet Penelope fought so hard and often she had to take the journey on her own. Her small body made some miraculous recoveries but in the end, she just needed to rest and let go. Hearts across the country broke but no one stopped walking through the darkness with this family. Ahead of this large community of people who love them, Tiffany, Danny, and Penelope eventually found a place of peace. Penelope's beautiful woven cloak that she had crafted in her life was gone but the red heart string still exists and you can follow it too.

Follow the red string to the Carousel Rest Area of Shelby, Montana on Saturday September 8th, 2018 from 1-3pm to celebrate Penelope Ann Hintz's life. The family of Penelope feel she would be best remembered by planting red plants in your gardens-- raspberries or roses perhaps? Penelope meant so many different things to so many people that you can do what feels right for you. For those of you following the heart string from far away, there is lodging in Shelby and the Comfort Inn is offering a funeral discount.

Thank you for loving Penelope and we hope to see you for her celebration. We will be dedicating one of the animals on the carousel to her (the giraffe, to be exact) and sharing memories of this creative, courageous, caring child.