An elderly woman died an avoidable death inside a stone church that collapsed during a tornado, her heartbroken husband alleged in a lawsuit.
Patricia Penelton, 74, was inside the Centennial Christian Church of St Louis on May 16, 2025, helping with meal service when a tornado suddenly slammed into the religious institution, causing the old steeple to fall and kill her.
Her mourning husband, Harry Penelton, had gone out to Sam's Club to get items for the church, when he got a call that his beloved wife was trapped inside, he told First Alert 4.
'They said, when you hear this, just get there,' he recalled. 'So that’s the kind of news you get that she didn’t make it.'
He is now claiming the church knew the building needed structural repairs and was not adequate enough to withstand a strong storm, he said in a lawsuit viewed by the Daily Mail.
'The Church building was poorly maintained and structurally defective,' the lawsuit, filed days before the one-year anniversary, said.
The father accused the church of knowing its steeple was 'inadequately bonded without mortar and/or crumbly mortar.'
'The structure was not in reasonably safe condition and therefore created a dangerous condition,' Harry alleged in court documents.
Patricia Penelton, 74, was inside the Centennial Christian Church of St Louis on May 16, 2025, when a tornado struck the church, causing the steeple to fall, killing her
Tons of rubble was left outside the church after the tornado
Harry also blamed the City of St Louis for not sounding tornado sirens, leaving his wife with no time to find appropriate shelter before the twister devastated the old church, which opened in 1904.
An August report found that 22 of the city's 60 tornado sirens did not go off on May 16, 2025, for 'various reasons,' according to Fox 2 Now.
The tornado left massive piles of bricks in the front courtyard of the church and around the building. The steeple was nearly completely torn down, while the side of the building and the roof suffered significant damage.
Centennial was demolished last month. The congregation plans to rebuild a new church on the same site.
Despite the church being able to rebuild stronger, Harry has felt his life 'stop' after Penelton's death. The couple had been married for 54 years, he told First Alert 4.
'You just sit there in a daze, even at the house, thinking about how you miss her,' he said. 'Everything just hits, everything just stops.
'I feel upset and, you know, lonely.'
He is now asking for a trial by jury and to be awarded $25,000 in damages for his wife's death, which has left him in mental anguish, the lawsuit said.
The church's roof, steeple, and side wall suffered significant damage
Harry has accused the church of knowing there was a need for structural repairs prior to the storm, he said in a lawsuit
The tornado that struck St Louis on that fateful day caused more than $1.6billion in damage.
The church plans to rebuild on the same site, which will include affordable housing, a health clinic, and a soup kitchen.
Penelton helped the church's soup kitchen before her death, serving tens of thousands of meals to the hungry residents of St Louis.
Harry said his wife's work with the church's food ministry made him proudest.
One of his fondest memories includes a cold day when he and his wife came to the church to feed people, despite many not coming in due to the extreme weather. But Penelton was insistent they go anyway, because 'people need to eat.' They served around 40 people, Harry recalled to First Alert 4.
A year later, Harry still helps with food kitchens in honor of his late wife to keep their love alive.
The community still mourns the loss of Penelton, who was a main figure at the church.
Harry said churchgoers would call the congregation before their house phone if they needed either him or 'Miss Pat,' which is why he now jokes she had to take the church with her when she went.
Penelton was an active member in the church since the 1980s and helped with the church's food ministry and was a member of the choir
Harry is also accusing the city of not sounding the fire alarms, leaving his wife without adequate time to find shelter
'She’s still truly remembered in this neighborhood and in the city in general, those who knew her,' Harry told First Alert 4.
'She was a diamond in the rough that people got to know. And no one was a stranger to her.'
The Texas native is remembered for her deep sense of devotion and her life's work to uplift others, her obituary said.
She and Harry met at Texas A&I University, where she received an English degree. The pair married in 1970.
Penelton worked as an English teacher for many years, before transitioning to AT&T, where she worked as an operations manager until she retired in 2003.
She would later go back to work for Charter Communications, before finally retiring for good in 2018.
Penelton was known for her deep faith, which was a 'cornerstone of her life.'
The church before the storm. The church was demolished last month and a new one will be built on the site
She and Harry became devout members of Centennial when they moved to St. Louis in 1986. She served as a church moderator, a deacon, an usher, and an educator.
She and Harry were also members of the church choir. She also sang in the St Louis Symphony Orchestra for 27 years as part of the ensemble.
'While her physical presence will be deeply missed, her love and dedication remain an everlasting light in our hearts. Her legacy of leadership and service will forever inspire those who had the privilege of knowing her,' her obituary read.