10/10/2026
Today friends and family gathered in Riegelsville to honor the life of a remarkable man, Michael Penyak. Michael was my first point of contact in my career shift from law to residential real estate sales and continued as he mentored me through my first 7 years, first as a salesperson, and then as a manager. When I met Michael, I didn’t know what to make of him but it quickly became clear that I wouldn’t have had the success I’ve had in my real estate career had I not worked with Michael. When we started working together, Michael couldn’t figure out how to work his company-issued laptop (it was truly comical watching him try to type), but his emotional intelligence was off the charts. We were a great fit as we had a lot to teach each other. I could put together Michael’s Power Point presentations for managers’ meetings and over years of sitting with him reviewing my sales activities or walking through downtown Chester in search of a cappucino (a thinly-veiled excuse for a smoking break), on which he would strike up authentic, engaging conversations with an extraordinary number of people along the way, I learned that it’s not all about the numbers, but about connecting with people (some of Michael’s catchphrases about this still resonate in my head in his distinctive (but not unique — IYKYK) voice). Nick and I have such fond memories of the years of when Tuesday night meant dinner at Michael’s gorgeous house on Center Street, at the big table in kitchen, in front of the fire, looking out over the water. These informal weekly dinners were the most literal of Michael’s many acts of generosity toward us over the years when he and I worked together.
Rest in peace, Michael. Your legacy lives on in our hearts with a mandate to share the same kindness, generosity, authenticity, and dry sense of humor with others that you shared with us.