Penelope T. Kanapaux

Penelope “Pooh” Teague Kanapaux, 55, wife of Kelly Patrick Kanapaux, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on February 27, 2021, after a long illness.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend her Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM, Friday, March 5, 2021, at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 120 Broad St. The Rite of Committal will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 604 Ft. Johnson Rd. The family will receive friends between 5:00 and 7:00 PM this Thursday afternoon at the James A. McAlister Funeral Home, 1620 Savannah Hwy. The Rosary will be recited at 6:30 PM.

Pooh was born in Charleston on January 23, 1966, to the late Henry and Charleen Teague of Charleston, SC. She grew up on James Island and took full advantage of island and beach life, sunbathing with her sisters and friends at Folly (or on the garage roof), kicking around the neighborhood, or swimming, crabbing and fishing on the family farm on Johns Island. She met the love of her life at the age of nine, and just after high school they married and began their life adventure, which quickly led to a nine day drive to Anchorage, Alaska to become an Air Force wife.

Although she worked off and on as a bookkeeper and office clerk on the many military assignments, Pooh’s greatest achievement was as a wife, mother and homemaker. She loved her family deeply and was the perfect military spouse for 25 years, often taking care of the family by herself during her husband’s numerous deployments. She lived life to the fullest in numerous positions as homeroom mom, women’s bowling league officer, women’s golf group officer, officers’ wives club, and the key spouse for other spouses of deployed military members. She quickly adapted and excelled as military life took her and her family to live in Alaska, Florida, Oklahoma, Germany, Virginia, Alabama, Colorado and Washington, D.C. She was happy and fulfilled with returning to Charleston in 2013. She was a parishioner of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.

In addition to her husband of 35 years, Pooh is survived by her son, Kelly Jr., his wife Iris and grandson Quinn; her daughter, Jessica and grandson, Jackson; her sisters, Cheryl Abercrombie and husband David, Laura Bowers and husband Ted, Jennifer Ballentine and husband Steve, Angela McClure and husband Jimmy; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. She was loved by all blessed to have met her.

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorials in Pooh’s honor to the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, or the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.