To one of her family members, Gloria Winters was everything portrayed by her wholesome, soft-spoken 1950s character, "Penny," in the television Western series "Sky King."
"She was a very sweet and loving person," said her sister-in-law, Phyllis DeCinces. "She was always lovely and gracious."
Winters, 79, died on Aug. 14, 2010 in her home in Vista of complications from pneumonia.The actress was best known for her seven-year role in "Sky King" as the cherubic, blond teenage niece of the main character, an adventurous crime-solving rancher and pilot. The show made her a television star of that era ---- she was featured in 72 episodes of "Sky King."
Winters was born on Nov. 28, 1931 in Los Angeles.A child actress, she was said to have been featured alongside Shirley Temple in one of the curly-haired icon's films. Winters was also featured on the Gene Autry Show, "The Life of Riley," "Our Gang," and the "Bowery Boys." She retired from acting in 1960, just after her final feature, "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp."
DeCinces' own children, Douglass DeCinces and Cheryl Cater, have fond memories of sitting alongside their famous aunt on floats during holiday parades in Hollywood."She was so popular with children at the time," her sister-in-law recalled. "Everyone knew who she was. ‘Sky King' was the show of that era."
Winters married Dean Vernon, a Hollywood studio sound engineer she met on the set of "Sky King." After Vernon's retirement, the couple moved to Vista. Vernon passed away in 2001. "She loved the house in Vista," said DeCinces, adding that Winters' hobbies later in life included collecting antiques and gardening.
Along with a legacy of being a "first television crush" for young boys, Winters was known for her 1964 etiquette book, "Penny's Guide to Teenage Charm and Personality." In the mid-1990s, the alternative rock group Nada Surf used some of her text in their song "Popular."
Winters was buried alongside her husband at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.
