CANANDAIGUA — Sporting a fresh haircut and a patriotic boutonnière on his lapel, a Korean War veteran who turns 90 this December was the guest of honor at a recent ceremony held at the M.M. Ewing Continuing Care Center.

Edward Penrose has lived at the UR Medicine Thompson Health skilled-nursing facility for almost three years. He was honored by representatives of American Legion Post 98 of Gates with a Certificate of Continuous Membership, “issued in grateful appreciation for faithful and dedicated allegiance to the ideals of the American Legion.”

Penrose, who wore his Legion uniform for the ceremony and raised his hand in salute during the Pledge of Allegiance, first joined the post 60 years ago. The Legion’s county commander for Monroe County in 1991 and 1992, he held several other offices at the local, district, county, and state level within the veterans’ organization over the years. He was also the “chef de gare” for the Forty and Eight, the Legion’s honor society.

Known as a stickler for protocol, Penrose served as a mentor to many other Legionnaires, including Vietnam veteran Charles W. Zeiner of Rochester.

“He kept us in line,” Zeiner said, noting Penrose encouraged him to run for county commander, a role he ultimately held in 2017 and 2018.

“I hope I did well by him,” Zeiner added during his remarks at the ceremony, which was attended by family, friends, Penrose’s roommate, staff members he is close to, and Grace Walker, chairwoman of the Resident Council at the facility.

Penrose was one of six children and grew up in Rochester, spending summers on Canandaigua Lake, fishing with his older brother. A graduate of Monroe High School, he went to Korea with the Army in 1950, returning in 1953.

“When he came back, I got all the surplus stuff and I would run around and pretend I was a soldier,” recalled nephew Bill Gruschow of Canandaigua.

After the war, Penrose married Rose Villone, whom he met through the American Legion. The couple lived in the western suburbs of Rochester and he worked as a machinist for Gleason Works. After he “retired,” he took another job as a machinist at a shop near the airport. He’s a Yankees fan but Gruschow said the Legion was always his passion, as several caps, medals, and certificates displayed at the ceremony could attest.

M.M. Ewing Continuing Care Center Administrator Mathew Janczak is a veteran and told Penrose during the ceremony, “I understand the commitment and the sacrifice, and I appreciate everything you did for us.”

So do other staff members, according to Recreation Therapist Beth Bingham, who worked with the family and Legionnaires in organizing the ceremony. She said the display of Penrose’s items was to remain up throughout the day, so more staff could come out to the lobby and view it.

“Our work here is difficult much of the time and this is the reward – hearing the stories and being able to connect with our residents,” she said.