Natalie Anne Howard passed away on November 26, 2016 after a three month illness. She was born on October 6, 1931 in Pasadena, CA to Nelson and Betty Howard. She had an idyllic childhood in Pasadena, and then in Houston, Texas and Watertown, Connecticut while her father was in the Navy in the Aleutian Islands during WWII. She and her sister Joan (Sammis) attended Westridge School in Pasadena from kindergarten through high school.On April 24, 1954 Natalie married Holmes Erwin Penn Jr., and they had two children, Natalie Anne Penn (1955) and Holmes Erwin Penn III (1956).For 27 years, Natalie was the owner of Natalie’s Needlepoint, a mainstay of the Larchmont Blvd. retail scene. Loyal customers and friends from Hancock Park, Pasadena and the West Side made the store both a needlepoint hobbyist and a social gathering spot.Natalie was a regular at Santa Anita Park from the time she was a young girl. Her grandfather, Nelson Arthur Howard Sr., was a founder of the park, and raced his own horses there. The family had a permanent racing box, and as an adult Natalie loved meeting her friends at the Turf Club, and also enjoyed the opportunity to entertain with her parents in the tracks’ gorgeous Director’s room. In her retirement years, Natalie was constantly on the go. She traveled extensively to Europe and to the east coast, and was a member of innumerable garden and cultural organizations. She was proud of her “white garden” where her Iceberg roses and fragrant gardenias were always in abundance.Natalie was a member of The Town Club in Pasadena and The Beach Club in Santa Monica. She is survived by her daughter Natalie Penn Hodges, granddaughter Lillie Grace Hodges and son-in-law Brett Hodges of Santa Barbara, and by her son Holmes Erwin Penn III and Dominga Valentino of Los Angeles.The family is extremely grateful to Marti Martin, Diana Perry Doyle and Dominga Valentino for their extraordinary care and organization during her illness.No service is planned. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Town Club, 378 South Madison Ave., Pasadena, CA. 91101-3376