JEAN JENKINS

JENKINS
JEAN (SMITH)
Died peacefully April 7, 2015, at Canterbury Place in Lawrenceville at age 97. Jean had a vivacious personality that easily won her friends wherever she went. She grew up in Donora, during the town's heyday as an industrial powerhouse, ethnic melting pot. From an early age her parents, Ray and Audubon Smith, nurtured her love of reading and music. She attended Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, earning a degree in vocal performance, and following graduation moved to the New York City area, where she studied voice with former Metropolitan Opera singer Queena Mario. To support herself, Jean put on one-woman shows of opera standards for audiences in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. In 1949 she married chemist David M. Jenkins, Jr., and dedicated herself to raising their three children. Widowed in 1967, she spent most of her remaining years in a beautifully decorated apartment in Aspinwall, working at the former William Penn Hat & Gown, playing bridge with her many friends, subscribing to the Pittsburgh Symphony, Opera, and Ballet, traveling when she could, and volunteering every Saturday at her beloved Carnegie Museum. Jean is survived by two children, David W. Jenkins (married to Judith Jenkins) and Patricia Pulwers (married to Jack Pulwers); seven grandchildren, David M. Jenkins III, Evan Jenkins, Miriam Jenkins, Colin Jenkins, Markus Pulwers (married to Traci Pulwers), Marie Pulwers, and Rachel Pulwers; and three great - grandchildren, Savannah, Connor and Emma Pulwers. They will all carry her optimism, spark and joy of life with them in her memory. Friends will be received Saturday, May 23, 2015, from 10 a.m. until the Service at 11 a.m. at WEDDELL - AJAK FUNERAL HOME, 100 Center Ave., Aspinwall. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Carnegie Museum are encouraged.
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