Louisa Jenkins

1925 - 2018

Louisa Bradbury Jenkins

Louisa Bradbury Jenkins died peacefully at the Tamalpais in Greenbrae, on February 2, 2018, just two months short of her 93rd birthday. Louisa was born in San Francisco on April 3, 1925. She was the youngest child of Marion Winston Jenkins and Reginald Courtenay Jenkins. Louisa grew up in her parents' house on Vallejo Street in San Francisco and spent summers vacationing at the family ranch in Duarte, California.

Louisa attended Katherine Delmar Burke School, the Convent of the Sacred Heart in San Francicso, and the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Menlo Park. Following her graduation from the Convent of the Sacred Heart at Menlo, she earned a BA from the University of California, Berkeley.

A direct descendant of Spanish colonial governor Jose' Dario Arguello, Louisa was honored as "La Favorita" at the San Francisco Founding Day Celebration in 1945. Her great grandfather, Lewis Leonard Bradbury, constructed the iconic Bradbury Building in Los Angeles.

In 1950, Louisa married Jordan L. Martinelli of San Rafael. She moved to Marin County and spent the rest of her life there. Following her divorce in 1972, Louisa returned to school. She earned an M.A. in Psychology from the University of San Francisco and a Certificate in Gerontology from San Francisco State University. When the Villa Marin Retirement Community opened in 1985, Louisa joined the staff as the Director of Social Services. She retired in 2007.

Louisa was preceded in death by her brother, Reginald C. Jenkins and her sister, Rosario B. Jenkins. She is survived by her four children: Louisa M. Newcomb, Guru Kar Singh Khalsa, and Peter J. Martinelli, all of Bolinas, and James W. Martinelli of Silverhorne, Colorado; six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Private services were held.