Jeanette D. Jenkins

Jeanette D. Jenkins LUBBOCK-Jeanette Davis Jenkins, age 93, of Madison, Wis., formerly of Lubbock, died on Tuesday, April 26, 2016, at Heritage Monona Assisted Living/Memory Care. She was born on Jan. 7, 1923, in Los Angeles. Her mother died when Jeanette was only 14, making her self-reliant and independent at an early age. During World War II Jeanette worked for Lockheed as a spot welder. It was during this time that she met her future husband, William (Loyd) Jenkins of Amarillo. She attended the University of Southern California and received a B.S. in Education. Jeanette and Loyd were married in June, 1947, in Los Angeles and soon relocated to Lubbock. Lubbock was Jeanette's home for 59 years. There she taught elementary school and kindergarten, gave piano lessons in her home, and raised her two sons, Vince and Clay. In 1955 she received a Master of Education from Texas Tech University after which she became a professor in the School of Home Economics where she taught for the remainder of her career. Her primary interests were early childhood education and music education and she was actively involved in the early years of Project Head Start. She earned a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree from North Texas State University in 1976. Jeanette was very active in the First Christian Church congregation in Lubbock for many years. She founded the church kindergarten, served as chair of the Board of Elders, and as a member of the Chancel Choir. In 1997 she was named Woman of the Year by the Christian Women's Fellowship. After her retirement from Texas Tech, Jeanette and Loyd enjoyed overseas travel and spent an entire year in Malaysia. After Loyd's death in 1999, Jeanette moved to Madison where she spent the last decade of her life. Jeanette was preceded in death by her parents, Byrle Blonden Davis and Carolyn Ballenberg Davis; her husband, William Loyd Jenkins; and an infant son, Barton. She is survived by her sons, Vince Jenkins (Stefanie Moritz) of Madison and Clay (Betty) Jenkins of Rochester, N.Y.; grandchildren, Kelley (Dave) Ching, Travis Jenkins, Jay and Keira Jenkins; and great-grandchildren Tyler, Caleb, Eli and Cody Ching. The family would like to thank the staff at Capitol Lakes Retirement and Heritage Monona Assisted Living for their care of Jeanette in her later years. Memorials may be directed to: Waisman Early Childhood Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Ave., S101, Madison, WI 53705. Do not let her small stature fool you. She could stare down Goliath himself and come out the winner.