WALLINGFORD - Janet "Penny" Penelope Crook Cilo of Hamden, West Haven, and Wallingford, CT, passed away on May 29, 2015 after a long illness. Penny was a strong, independent, caring and creative woman who faced her life, and her death, with humor and determination. She touched the lives of her friends, family, and co-workers, and was a lifelong lover of animals, singing, Opera, books, and special places like Block Island. Penny was born on February 11, 1941, in Hamden, Connecticut. She was the youngest of Charles E. Crook and Bessie W. Crook's 5 children. She graduated from Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and taught High School English and Speech. She followed her first husband, Daniel Cilo, as he pursued Grad School in New York, Tennessee and Indiana. She returned to Connecticut in 1971 with her son, Jason. She was a reference librarian at the New Haven Public Library and worked at the New Haven Welfare Department before beginning a 30-year career with the Connecticut Trails Council of Girl Scouts, where she served as a Membership Manager for 6 years, and as Director of Education Services for 24 years. She administered a training program that served 3,500 adult volunteers annually in 110 Connecticut towns. Penny supervised a team of 100 dedicated volunteer trainers and 10 certified Master Trainers. She served on planning committees that implemented state and regional conferences serving as many as 500 adult Girl Scout volunteers from throughout New England. She was a consultant in Training and Adult Development to many non-profit organizations throughout the state and region. She retired from the Girl Scouts in 2003. In retirement, Penny continued to devote time to her lifelong passion for animals. She was the loving owner of many beloved and, some might say, over-indulged cats and dogs. Her last and best dog, Pebbles, brought joy to her and to many as a therapy dog. Penny remained active in retirement, working part-time at jobs that kept her close to animals, to flowers & gardening, and, in her work at the Yale Learning Center, to matters of education, staff development, and management training. The great joy of her final years was her granddaughter, Elodie, who was born in 2011 and whose photos filled Penny's home. Penny enjoyed regaling all who would listen with proudly told stories of her granddaughter's many skills and talents, be they real or otherwise imagined by a generous and proud Grandmother. Her son, Jason Cilo, his wife, Amanda Charlton, and their daughter Elodie Jane Cilo survive Penny. She is also survived by her siblings Jarvis Crook, Douglas Cook and Barbara Ehrenfels, her many beloved nephews and nieces, her friends and her extended family. Her brother, Richard, predeceased her. Memorial gifts may be made to the Best Friends Animal Society, 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, UT 84741, on the web at www.bestfriends.org. There will be a memorial celebration of Penny's life at the New Haven Lawn Club, 193 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT 06511 on Friday, September 25th at 11:00 am. A reception will follow with food and beverages at 12:30 pm. The B. C. Bailey Funeral Home of Wallingford is assisting with arrangements. To leave a message of remembrance, please visit www.BCBAILEY.com.