John P Penasack

John Paul Penasack, LT. COL. USAF (Retired), of Merrimack, NH, died peacefully in his sleep at home the morning of November 5th, 2025.

John was born on September 13, 1936 in the small town of Albion in upstate New York to Teresa and Stephen Penasack. He grew up blessed with the loving attention of his two older sisters, Mary (Demo) and Rita (Hahn) and an extended, close family. His wife of 63 years, Sharron Brooks, lived a short walk down the street. He graduated from Albion High School in 1956. After traveling the world in the merchant marines, he earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from Texas A&M.

The day after their wedding in 1962, Sharron and John left their beloved small town life for him to start his career as an officer in the United States Air Force. Over his 20-years of service, he was respected and beloved by colleagues, who particularly appreciated his love for a good practical joke. Air Force life suited him well, and he was recognized with multiple commendations for excellence and meritorious service, most notably in the 1960’s for his work on the SR71 “Blackbird” reconnaissance aircraft, and later in the 1970’s for his pivotal contributions to the early stage B-1 bomber test flight program in the Mojave Desert at Edwards AFB. Military life on Edwards AFB was later depicted in the acclaimed movie The Right Stuff. His career took John, Sharron and their growing family to Japan and all over the United States before they settled in Nashua, NH in 1978.

John retired from the Air Force in 1982 and started a new career with Sanders Associates (now BAE Systems) setting up and running their software quality assurance program. He finished his career at BAE in 2008 with a senior role on the F-22 Raptor. John had a lifelong passion for gardening, beginning with a small bountiful plot in the family’s backyard in La Palma (Anaheim), California. He subsequently struggled to keep his vegetable plants alive in the Mojave Desert at Edwards AFB. It wasn’t until moving to Nashua that his passion bore fruit, with a garden behind their home as well as a plot in the community garden at Greeley Park. John spent many summer days in his cut off shorts and wide straw hat weeding and watering his plants. In season, their kitchen (and many of their friends’ kitchens) was overflowing with tomatoes, squash and other produce.

During his military career he developed a deep and passionate interest in foreign policy and history. He loved engaging in lively debate about current developments, and into his late eighties retained near total recall of the players, dates and details of geopolitical events, major and minor, across the world. After retiring, he created and taught the popular Geopolitics class in Rivier College’s RISE program for over a decade. He was as beloved for his animated teaching and thorough grasp of foreign affairs as he was his sense of humor and entertaining stories.

He will be fondly remembered for his inclination to find humor in everything, especially government bureaucratic snafus, his work ethic, intelligence and humility.

John is survived by his wife Sharron Penasack, his three children Stephanie Brooks, Kirstan Barnett and Timothy Penasack, and his cherished grandchildren Emma, Peter, Noah, Kit, Jonas and Marianne, as well as his dog Art. His previous adoring dogs Bana, Raja, Sara, Gaylord, Noir, Butch, Nellie, Glory, Stanley, Cain and Mabel will welcome him lovingly with wagging tails.

A private memorial service with military honors will be held at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, NH. 

In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations to the Humane Society of Greater Nashua, 24 Ferry Rd., Nashua, NH.