John P. Jennings

JENNINGS, John P., 90, of Richmond, died Friday, December 12, 2008. He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Daphne. He is survived by his three children, Russell and his wife, Jeanne Sanders, Gay J. Cook of Richmond and Robin Jennings of Louisa; four grandchildren, Christine Cook and her husband, Anthony Risicato, of Manhattan, N.Y., Angela Nix and her husband, Curtis, of Sandston, Jennifer Woodard of Richmond and John Daniel Jennings and his wife, Kelly, of Louisa; four great-grandchildren, Temple, Tucker and Violet Woodard, all of Richmond, and Stephanie Jennings of Louisa. Mr. Jennings was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army. His Army unit was a part of the Utah Beach landing during the D-Day Invasion of France. He met his wife, Daphne, a citizen of South Africa and a member of the British Army, while staying at her parents' home before the invasion. They married quickly, and then John was gone for a year. He returned from Paris with a bottle of champagne and a bottle of Chanel N. 5 for his wife, both of which she kept on her dresser through the '50s, '60s and '70s. Besides caring for his wife and family, he was a Little League coach, Little League umpire, PTA president and a member of numerous service organizations. For a number of years, he volunteered for the VA Hospital in Richmond, where he showed movies once a week for the Spinal Cord Unit. Mr. Jennings retired from Verizon and AT&T after 42 years and then sold real estate for 15 years. He was a longtime member of Monument Heights Baptist Church and the Westwood Club. The family will receive friends Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Central Chapel of Bennett Funeral Home, 3215 Cutshaw Avenue. Graveside services will be held 1 p.m. Tuesday, December 16, in Crewe Cemetery in Crewe, Va. The family would like to thank Dr. Milan Krickovic and his staff for their wonderful care.
This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.