WILMINGTON — Beatriz Edith Sandoval Penley, age 89, of Swansboro passed peacefully from her earthly life to eternal rest on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at the Lower Cape Fear Hospice in Wilmington surrounded by her family.
Beatriz, affectionately known by Nina to her late husband and Bea to friends and family, was born on April 13, 1937, in El Arco, Baja California, Mexico, to the late Alejandro “Alejo” Sandoval and Dolores Villavicencio de Sandoval. She was a life-long devoted Catholic and is predeceased by her late husband, James William Penley and survived by her sons, Rodrick William Penley of Rock Hill, SC and Richard Allen Penley & his wife, Amy of Burgaw, NC along with her grandchildren: Andrew, Matthew & his wife, Brooke, Rylan, Jodi, Millie and Austin. She also leaves behind many nephews and nieces, with a special mention for her endearing nephews, Fernando and Carlos, niece, Marie and special friend, Ana.
Beatriz was a seamstress by trade and by passion, having retired into her 80s from the MCCS located at Camp Lejuene in Jacksonville, NC where she was employed for close to 30 years. She was an avid reader and a Bingo fanatic. She loved spending time with her family and her love language was producing delicious Mexican meals for her boys who were her world.
Beatriz moved from Mexico to the US in 1967 when she married her husband, James, whom she met while he was in military service to the US Navy in San Diego, California. She learned the English language by watching daytime American soap operas in the late 1960s. She and her husband began their family and eventually moved to North Carolina, James’ home state. Beatriz was a wonderful mother and loving grandmother. One of the proudest moments of her life, outside raising a family, was when she obtained her U.S. citizenship on September 13, 2019, at the age of 82. She subsequently cast her first vote on November 5, 2019.
While words cannot completely capture the essence of a person or describe the life for which she left on earth, for those that got to know her personally, what she did leave was a positive indelible mark on the hearts of everyone she touched. We are very blessed and honored to have had her as mother and as a friend and cannot express the gratitude for the life and love she provided.
An Inurnment service has been arranged for Friday, September 11, 2026, at 2pm at the Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville, NC. Her remains will be put to rest with those of her husband, James.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to the Lower Cape Fear LifeCare Foundation, 1414 Physicians Drive, Wilmington, NC 28401.
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