JENKINS, Mary Louise

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1939 – 2022

Mary Louise Jenkins passed away on March 12, 2022.

Mary was born in Boston, Massachusetts on October 14, 1939, to Chris and Jane Born, the second of three children: Conrad, Mary, Clinton. Her early childhood years were spent in the southeast United States, and later, in New England. Fond childhood memories included summers at the family cottage at Rye Beach, New Hampshire and Moosehead Lake, Maine. She attended school in York, Maine. While there, she had a religious experience, which set her firmly on her life’s path as a disciple of Christ. Several ‘angels’ were to guide her in her life to come.

After graduating, she attended Garland Junior College in Boston, where she took the graphic design program. After, she worked for a department store in Boston, and also worked at picture framing. She moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where her art began to flourish, and she had several exhibitions. It was there that she met a dear friend Joyce (angel #1) with whom she stayed in touch the rest of her life. Then a further move to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she started to work for Gallery One, run by Grace Casey (angel #2), the director of the New Hampshire Art Association. It was there that she met her husband-to-be Robert, a space scientist at the University of New Hampshire, who also painted, and was a member of the same art association. Grace, always the matchmaker, managed to introduce the two love-birds, and a lifelong marriage began.

Robert, a Canadian born in Vernon, BC, took new employment at the Communications Research Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada, where they were to remain until Bob’s retirement in 1998. It was there that their two children, Edward and Carol, were born. They lived for many years in the nearby town of Almonte. Her good friend and faith companion Linda (angel #3) was there for support during some hard years. Mary developed her skill as a writer, and regularly wrote articles for local newspapers, many on learning disabilities, something she had suffered from as a child, and a field only just beginning to receive attention. Her art also evolved into fabrics, and she made a number of wall hangings for churches, as well a clothing and jewelry items.

Upon retirement, with Mary’s urgings, they moved back to BC, and built a home in Westbank. The pair found a waiting family in St. George’s Anglican church (a whole bunch of angels), where they joined the choir. Somewhere along the line, Mary’s early pleasure in beach-combing (Rye Beach) morphed into browsing thrift stores and garage sales. She festooned many cloth purses and bags with clothing labels from her thrift store findings.

In her later years, she suffered from severe arthritis, and dementia. When needed, she received much comfort and support at Pine Acres Nursing Home, and later, Mill Creek Village. Our thanks go out to their staff.

Our apologies to the many other angels in Mary’s life who could not be mentioned due to space limitations.

Mary leaves a husband, Robert, a son Edward (wife Dawn Walker) and two grandchildren Thora and Reed, and a daughter Carol (husband Martin Kuhn). She will be missed.