Penny McClurg was born on April 6, 1955, in Sheridan, Wyo., during a blizzard so severe that a tractor weasel was used to transport her mother to the hospital. She moved with her family to Anchorage, Alaska, in 1970. Attending West High School, she excelled in basketball and started the first Girls Basketball Team. After graduation, Penny played pro-basketball internationally before going on to attend Alaska Bible College in Glennallen, Alaska.In 1980, Penny was selected for the Summer Olympics but never competed due to a boycott by the President that year. After college graduation, she drove dump trucks during the Trans-Alaska Pipeline boom and then went on to work as a Security Guard for Teamsters 959 in Anchorage before becoming an Anchorage Police Officer in 1986.As an APD officer, Penny worked in many different departments, including being the first and only female APD K-9 officer. Her police career was cut short following a duty-related injury and she was forced to retire in 1996.Penny was a licensed pilot and loved flying in Alaska. She also taught basketball at Anchorage Christian Schools before returning to Wyoming, where she enjoyed many years of ranching and taking care of wayward animals."She mothered any critter that came with reach. The horses would run to her, knowing she was always carrying treats," her sister said.In September, Penny returned to Anchorage, where following a brief illness she passed away on Oct. 5, 2016.She was preceded in death by her father, Roy McClurg; and her brother, Mike McClurg.She leaves behind her mother Edith McClurg; and her sister, Diane McClurg, both of Anchorage.A Celebration of her Life will be held on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016, at 12 p.m. at Anchorage Baptist Temple. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Penny's name to Dollars for Dogs, P.O. Box 202402, Anchorage, AK 99520.