JACKSON, MISSISSIPP — On April 17, 2023, The Reverend John Stone Jenkins, beloved husband, father, grandfather, educator, and Episcopal clergyman, passed away peacefully at the age of 98.
John was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, to Robert Floyd Jenkins and Glena Pritchard Jenkins. Like so many other members of the “Greatest Generation,” his childhood was not an easy one. In 1938, John’s father was killed in an automobile accident and the bank foreclosed on their house. At age 14, he began delivering newspapers by bicycle, eventually taking on two routes and saving enough money to pay for a year of college at Texas A&M. In 1942, with money being tight, John transferred to Louisiana State University. Because of his ROTC training both at Byrd High School and in college, John was able to join the US Army Air Corps in 1943 as an officer. He was offered the opportunity to begin training as a pilot, bombardier, or navigator. He first tried his hand at piloting, but while training in San Marcos, Texas the flight instructor agreed to sign him off only if John promised never to fly as a pilot again.
He ended up as a navigator of B-17s in the US Army Air Corps’ 833rd Bomber Squadron, 486th Bomber Group. On his first mission, flying through heavy flak, his plane burst into flames, forcing him and the rest of the crew to parachute out over enemy lines. He had been instructed to count to ten before pulling his ripcord but, as he recalled, he only made it to five. He landed in a field in Belgium, evaded enemy capture, and found some US forces who were engaged in the Battle of the Bulge. John made his way back to Allied-occupied France, caught a flight to England, and got right back to navigating B-17s. Eventually he became a lead navigator for the squadron, and in 1945 was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. When World War II ended John returned to LSU and began taking courses in history and philosophy. Inspired by the German-American political philosopher Eric Voegelin, John became a voracious reader of books about Western political philosophy, intellectual history, and theology.
This was also the time that he met the first love of his life, Mary Alice (Jones) Jenkins. After graduating from LSU in 1947, John and Mary attended the University of Chicago, where he earned a master’s degree in Medieval history. After their marriage in 1949 they spent three years in Evanston, Illinois, where John attended and graduated from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. It was here that they welcomed the birth of their first child, Ann. They then moved to New York, where he spent an additional year studying under the direction of Paul Tillich and Reinhold Niebuhr at Union Theological Seminary.
While in New York, John served as chaplain of Leake and Watts, a home for troubled teenagers. Living with these energetic youngsters helped prepare him for his first full-time job as assistant headmaster and chaplain of St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Metairie, Louisiana, a position he held from 1953 to 1962. During this time, John and Mary celebrated the birth of their second child, David. From 1962 to 1968 John served as the headmaster of All Saints’ Episcopal School, a boarding school for high school girls in Vicksburg, Mississippi. It was during the All Saints’ years that John first developed a love of boating. From 1968 to 1971 John served as the Dean of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Jackson, Mississippi, and from 1971 to 1984 he was Rector of Trinity Church in New Orleans, Louisiana. During these years, John wrote a short book, What Think Ye of Jesus, which was published by The Episcopal Radio-TV Foundation. He also developed the Disciples of Christ (DOC) program, which was later incorporated into a number of Episcopal churches in the United States and is now known as the Disciples of Christ in Community (DOCC) program.
The most significant post-Trinity development in John’s life was his marriage in 1985 to Lynn Louise (Biggs) Jenkins, the daughter of Tom and Louise Biggs and the sister of Betty Allin and Jane Alexander. John and Lynn became faithful members of St. Peter’s by-the-Lake in Brandon, Mississippi, and twice John stepped out of retirement to become interim rector of that church. They purchased an older, two-bedroom house on the Barnett Reservoir and set about making some much-needed renovations. They loved being on the water and soon added a dock for their lake boat. John and Lynn’s marriage of 37 years was one of love and adventure. Together they navigated many rivers and seas, building special memories along the way. Here is a snapshot: John and Lynn on the bow sofa of the Jubilee, a 47-foot Chris-Craft Commander, anchored 300 feet to the north of Horn Island, barbecue pit lit, steaks marinating, Acker Bilk wafting from the stereo, vodka tonics (filled to the brim) close at hand. That’s how it happened. Regularly. It was a lasting romance.
Many of John’s former St. Martin’s and All Saints’ students remember him as an inspiring teacher and mentor; his congregants at St. Andrew’s and Trinity surely recall him as an extraordinary preacher and counselor; and his boating friends have their stories of happy times and daring escapades. His family's memories of him are the fondest of all. But everyone can agree on one thing: when John Jenkins was around, there was never a dull moment. We will miss you, Captain.
John was predeceased by his parents, his brother, Robert Floyd Jenkins, Jr., his sister, Lillian Jenkins Conger, his first wife, Mary, who died in 1981, and his second wife, Lynn, who died in 2022. He is survived by his daughter, Ann Pritchard Beaman (and her husband, Frank), his son, David Robert Jenkins (and his wife, Marti), four grandchildren, Grayson Allen Sadowski (Ryan), Matthew David Allen (Sarah), Quinn Jenkins Warren (Jordan), and Anna Stone Jenkins, plus an ever-growing number of great-grandchildren.
A Requiem Eucharist celebrating John’s life will be held at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Jackson at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Interment will follow at the St. Andrew's columbarium, with a reception immediately following in the Parish Hall. All are welcome.
John was a lover of many causes, and it would be unfair to single one out. Perhaps, when you next make a charitable donation, you will think of John when you do so.
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