ROBERT JENKINS

1944 - 2020

Robert Francis "Bob" Jenkins
October 20, 1944 - December 8, 2020

OKLAHOMA CITY
Bob Jenkins was born in Topeka, KS on Oct. 20, 1944, to George M. Jenkins and Jean Elaine (Mulholland) Jenkins. He had one sister whom he absolutely adored, Elizabeth Ann Jenkins. Following a brief illness, Bob died on Dec. 8, 2020.
Bob's father was an administrator for the Veterans Administration, so Bob spent his childhood in various locations where his father was assigned – Kansas City, MO; Albuquerque, NM; and finally, Muskogee, OK, where Bob, or BoBo as his father called him, graduated from high school. He attended The University of Oklahoma, where he received a B.S. in mathematics and later an M.B.A.
Bob married Andree Olsen Reutlinger in 1967. Their two-plus-year marriage produced Bob's only daughter, Robyn. He often spoke fondly (and told stories) of the many wonderful summers that Robyn spent with him at Lake Hiwassee.
In 1970, Bob married Janie Krepps Jenkins, and they were married until her death from breast cancer in 2001. She worked with Bob at Pinnacle Business Systems and introduced him to Lake Hiwassee, where he lived for 35 years.
In 2003, Bob married Mary Whitten Marks. Through that marriage, Bob acquired two beloved stepsons, Stuart and Douglas Marks. With great humor and patience, Bob helped raise the boys, including teaching both to drive. They loved Bob dearly.
Bob enjoyed a varied career. He was employed at Tinker Air Force Base, where he joined the Air Force Reserve unit. He was a computer programmer and software developer at Westinghouse for several years. In 1976, Bob founded his own company, RF Jenkins & Associates, which developed several business applications still in use, including an oil and gas accounting software program that was spun off into a company owned by his friend, Baird Archbald, at EBA & Associates. RF Jenkins closed in 1982 during the oil bust.
Bob worked for several years as a sales manager at Honeywell Information Systems. In 1988, Bob and his close friend and golf buddy, Martin McNeese, formed Pinnacle Business Systems. Bob developed a facilities management/store planning program marketed throughout the U.S. Pinnacle serves clients that range from Fortune 100 oil and gas and banking customers to small doctors' offices and retail locations. Bob retired from Pinnacle in 1998. After retirement, Bob continued to provide computer consulting services for several years.
An active community volunteer, Bob served on the Board of Regents at Oklahoma City Community College from 2004 to 2011 and played a leadership role in the construction of the college's performing arts center. He remained a steadfast supporter of the college for the rest of his life.
He also served on the nonprofit board of Jim Riley Outreach, the finance and personnel committees of First Baptist Church Oklahoma City, and for many years was a board member of the Lake Hiwassee Homeowners Association. He was currently a member of St. Luke's United Methodist Church.
In 2018, Bob was diagnosed with kidney failure, and in Sept. 2019, he received a kidney transplant, with his wife, Mary, as donor. The transplant was a relatively rare incompatible-blood-type kidney transplant: Bob was blood type A, but to the end of his life, Mary's type A-B kidney was doing well in Bob's body.
Bob loved movies. He was an amazing cook. Friends have praised Bob as a great mentor and friend, a calm presence in their lives, a true entrepreneur, and someone they love deeply and will dearly miss. A brilliant man and staunch progressive Democrat, Bob read the New York Times and Washington Post cover-to-cover every day and freely shared his views with friends who, even when they disagreed, always loved and respected Bob. Mary commented that Bob was in her corner every moment of every day. "He made me a better mother to my children; in fact, a better human being."
Bob loved: Golf. All OU sports. The Kansas City Chiefs. The New York Yankees (to Mary's great disgust). His friends. Always his family. He even enjoyed OSU sporting events for the years his grandson, John, was an All-American sprinter at the university. Bob was so proud of Robyn's sons – John the amazing athlete and Christian the serious, dedicated student and aspiring entrepreneur.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents; and by his wife, Janie. He is survived by his wife, Mary Marks Jenkins; his sister, Elizabeth Ann Jenkins, of Prairie Village, KS; his daughter, Robyn Combs (Chauncey), of Edmond; his grandsons, John W. and Christian Teeters, both of Edmond; and his stepsons, Stuart Marks, of Oklahoma City; and Douglas Marks (Ceciley), of Norman.
Because of the pandemic, a Celebration of Bob's Life will take place at a later time. Memorial contributions may be made to The Foundation for Oklahoma City Community College by visiting GiveToOCCC.org and clicking Give Now, and selecting the Regent Bob Jenkins Memorial Fund – or by mail to 7777 S. May Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73159.