We are saddened to record the passing of Mick Penn, known to many as a passionate horticulturalist and owner and founder of Penns Flowers, on Thame Road near Ilmer. Mick was very active in the Haddenham Horticultural Society and reflecting on his life is like the ''who's who' of growing! In his younger days he was also a keen sportsman and played an active part in Haddenham sports.
Mick 's funeral was held at St Mary's Church on 26th February 2025 and this tribute is based on the eulogy delivered by his son, Mark, to whom we are most grateful.
Mick was born to Sid and Florence on 25th November 1942. He was one of four children, his brother and sisters being Sheila, Franny and Graham. He went to primary and junior school in Haddenham, and at the age of 13 took a entrance exam to Rycote Wood College in Thame. It was here he found that he had a talent for woodwork and cabinet making. After he left college, he managed to get a 5 year apprenticeship at Risborough Furniture. It was here that he met Jackie, his wife to be.
They married on March 23rd 1963 and moved to 6 Greenway, now known at Clerkenwell Cottages in Haddenham, where Gill, Kaz and Mark were all born. Mick left Risborough Furniture and took a job fitting out caravans in Risborough. After a couple of years, he was made redundant and in 1966 he went self-employed and worked with his brother-in-law Brian as a contract carpenter for their own business, Penn and Baker, until the early 90s. After Brian passed away Mick decided to hang up his tools.
Away from work, Mick played cricket, football and table tennis for Haddenham A, winning the Division 1 title with John, Mark's father-in-law, and Brian Maxwell, in the early 70s. He was also part of the Haddenham stock car club. They kept their cars at Rickets Yard in Haddenham, causing a bit of a stir when road testing the cars up and down Thame Road before race days. We're not sure what Councillor Penn himself would have made of that 10 years or so afterwards! It's funny to think he was a stock car driver because he struggled to get his van above 40. A friend once said to his son Mark " I followed your dad into Aylesbury today". Mark asked him if he went above 40, he said "yes", so Mark's reply was "It wasn't my Dad then, it was Uncle Graham!". Sadly, Mick's racing career ended with a bad crash at Braefield, Northampton.
Whilst recovering Mick took Jackie to Risborough. Whilst there, he visited Redmonds, a garden store, and bought three tomato plants and six Chrysanthemums. It wasn't long before he was digging up the garden and putting his carpentry skills to good use, building a greenhouse. He also took on an allotment and it was here that he met a local grower, Fred Miles. Fred mentored Mick in the art of growing and showing Chrysanthemums. When he started to grow them, in year one he grew about 30 plants, in year two it was about 300.
Down the allotments Mick also met another local grower, Ian Chalk. His speciality was Dahlias and with Ian's help Mick started growing and showing Dahlias as well. They would show at local and county shows, and at national level. They were instrumental in running the Aylesbury Chrysanthemum, Dahlia and Vegetable Society, along with Keith Fleckney and Barry Woodford. All four growers were to become very good friends of Mick's.
At this time, the Penn family moved from Greenway to High Street. Luckily for Mick it had a large garden. He could grow 600 Chrysanthemums and 600 Dahlias there!
At the very top there was a spot specially for giant Dahlias. He grew one in particular, called Jupiter. When he went to buy the Jupiter stock he took Mark, Gill and Kaz with him. It was a boiling hot day, and Mick and the grower got talking, as he often did with anyone and everyone. The grower's wife only had Babycham to offer the children, which Mick said was absolutely fine! The children were all under 10 years old at the time!
When the Penn family lived in High Street, Mick and Jackie sold Dahlias from the front room. This developed into a corner shop in Haddenham, which in turn became the Nursery they owned and ran for many years, eventually also moving to the bungalow they built on Nursery site.
When Mick found any time away from growing, he enjoyed cruising and coaching holidays with Jackie. These were a far cry from the holidays the family enjoyed at Butlins, which always had to be the week after planting out, and before the Dahlias needed any attention!
Mick was a gentle man and gentleman. He adored Jackie, and loved his children, their spouses, his four grandsons and two great grandchildren. He also loved eating, and could easily make a simple ham sandwich sound like Michelin starred food! He never had a cross word with anyone. He only ever raised his voice twice. Once when daughter Kaz cut the heads of his prize Dahlias and gave them to a neighbour, and once when a deck chair fell on his prize blooms, which was Mark's fault but he managed to blame Kaz, because that's what brothers are for!
Mick's life was family and growing flowers. He even turned to the dark side growing vegetables with the help of Neil Page, so it seems fitting to conclude with the fact that recently he was acknowledged for 50 years service at the Bucks County Show, he was the president of The Aylesbury Vegetable, Dahlia and Chrysanthemum Society and the president of Haddenham Horticultural Society.
