John M. Jenkins, Sr.

AIKEN, SC - LTC (RET) John McDowell Jenkins, Sr., 73, died at home surrounded by his family on July 25, 2018, in Aiken, South Carolina.  John was born on December 24, 1944, in Camden, South Carolina. John is survived by his wife, Sally Lathem Lawrence Jenkins, their two children Lathem Emily Jenkins Gordon (m. Jason Gordon) and John (Jack) McDowell Jenkins, Jr., their grandchildren Dargan McDowell Gordon and Louise Mance Gordon, and his brother Robert Austin Jenkins, Sr. (m. Marilyn Griggs Jenkins) and nieces and nephews Robert Austin Jenkins, Jr. (m. Karin Miller Jenkins), Caroline Jenkins McInnis (m. James McInnis), Mary Kathryn Jenkins (m. Cody Symington), and their families. John was predeceased by his parents Mary Ellen McDowell Jenkins and LTC (RET) Joseph Wilson Jenkins, Sr. and two brothers Joseph Wilson Jenkins, Jr. and William Charles Jenkins (m. Polly Enders). John grew up in Camden, SC, Harlem, GA, Atlanta, GA, and Anchorage, AK, following the U. S. Army assignments of his father.  He graduated from The U.S. Military Academy at West Point and later received his MA in Anthropology at Louisiana State University.  After graduating from West Point, John completed Ranger School, Jump School, and two tours of duty in Vietnam, first as a Rifle Platoon Leader and then as a Company Commander.  His military career reflected his wide range of talent, from teaching cross-cultural communication to being an Aide-de-Camp at the U.S. Army War College; from serving as the S3 (training director) of a battalion to teaching a variety of military subjects in Spanish; from being Professor of Military Science at Wofford College to planning international exercises at the Pentagon, and so much more.  His service included stations and travels throughout the United States and around the world.  After retiring from the military, John worked at the Savannah River Site as both an engineer and educator/trainer.  After retiring from Westinghouse, John later returned to SRS to work for the security contractor, now Centerra, where he served again as an educator/trainer. John’s priorities were his faith, family, and friends. He loved his family - his immediate family and his extended family.  He loved time with his wife, children, and grandchildren.  He also loved the rest of his family and friends and treasured fellowship with any of them.  But, finally, he had a deep faith and understood that God is good and gracious and kind.  As a member of First Presbyterian of Aiken and as a person in the world every day, his faith provided an inner strength and a foundation for the rest of his life. John’s inherent fascination with the universe and curiosity about his world led him to develop a wide array of interests.  As the perpetual engineer, he was enamored with automobiles, photography, fly-fishing, kites, the latest technology, and multiple fields of science, including thermodynamics.  As the life-long explorer, he dove in the oceans as a scuba diver, traveled great distances to view the wonders of nature and humans alike, soared in the skies as a private plane pilot, and gazed with awe through his telescope to learn what he could of the heavens.  However, John’s feet were always firmly planted on Earth where he served God and others, young and old, as a Youth Group Leader, Church School teacher, Youth League soccer and baseball coach, Migrant Ministry translator, and Deacon and Elder at First Presbyterian. A few of John’s notable accomplishments include: 2 Bronze Stars, 2 Bronze Stars with Valor, Combat Infantryman Badge, Purple Heart, respected instructor of leadership and ethics in both civilian and military settings, author of the leadership manual On Leading and Following, a team member who helped develop the fuel for the Cassini Space Probe that recently concluded its mission to Saturn, Alaska league batting champion, and an extraordinary adjuster of artillery. Finally, John’s steadfast faith, his love and understanding of history and democracy, and his firm moral compass led him to be a highly engaged citizen who championed and stood up for equality, decency, and justice for all.  However, because of John’s humility and selflessness, even close friends and family may not have known some of these most passionate interests and remarkable achievements. John’s faith and his understanding of scripture guided his life.  An additional lifelong source of inspiration for him was General Douglas MacArthur’s famous “Duty, Honor, Country” speech (delivered at West Point in 1962) to which he often referred. For those who knew and loved John, it is easy to see how he embodied the values outlined in this segment: “(This way of life makes) you strong enough to know when you are weak, and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid … to be proud and unbending in honest failure, but humble and gentle in success; not to substitute words for actions, not to seek the path of comfort, but to face the stress and spur of difficulty and challenge; to learn to stand up in the storm but to have compassion on those who fall; to master yourself before you seek to master others; to have a heart that is clean, a goal that is high; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; to reach into the future yet never neglect the past; to be serious yet never to take yourself too seriously; to be modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength … They create in your heart the sense of wonder, the unfailing hope of what next, and the joy and inspiration of life.” A memorial service will be held for John McDowell Jenkins, Sr., servant of God and God’s children, at First Presbyterian Church of Aiken on August 26, 2018, at 2:00pm with Rev. Holly Shouf-O’Kula and Rev. Dr. Brian Coulter officiating, followed by a reception at Rye Patch to celebrate John’s well-lived life.  The family has requested that in lieu of flowers a donation be made to First Presbyterian Church of Aiken (803.648.2662) in his memory and/or to the Presbyterian College Leadership Scholarship Fund ( https://my.presby.edu/givenow -choose PC Scholarship Fund in the dropdown menu, click Add Donation, and enter his name in the comment section-or call 864.833.8320).SHELLHOUSE FUNERAL HOME, INC., 924 HAYNE AVE., AIKEN, SC (803)642-3456 To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John M. Jenkins, Sr., please visit our flower store.