Samuel W. Jenkins Jr.'s Obituary
Samuel Willis Jenkins, Jr., 91, of rural Hutton Township passed away peacefully the morning of August 18, 2022 surrounded by his loving family. Sam was born on July 14, 1931 in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, as one of 11 children born to Samuel W. and Laureita (Davenport) Jenkins, Sr. A child of the Great Depression, he left school in the eighth grade to work at a range of jobs including cutting cypress trees and fishing for catfish to sell in New Orleans. Sam enlisted in the Army in 1949, serving in combat during the Korean War. Like many of his generation, he enrolled in college at Southeastern Louisiana University on the GI Bill. While in college, he met the love of his life, Kathleen Irwin Hughes. Sam and Kathleen married on July 26, 1958 and moved to Baton Rouge where Sam was in graduate school at Louisiana State University. Sam received his masters and PhD in sociology and anthropology from LSU. While completing his dissertation, Sam taught high school in Port Allen, Louisiana, served as the Supervisor of Detention for the Family Court of East Baton Rouge, and taught as a visiting professor at Southeastern Louisiana and Auburn Universities. He later served on the faculty of Memphis State University before moving on to Tennessee State University while Kathleen attended graduate school at Vanderbilt University.
In 1975, Sam, Kathleen, and their four sons ventured north to Charleston, Illinois, where Sam joined the faculty of the Department of Sociology at Eastern Illinois University and Kathleen began her career in Booth Library. While at EIU, Sam taught generations of students, including his own son Timothy, the fundamentals of criminal justice and corrections. Ultimately, all four of Sam and Kathleen's sons graduated from EIU. As a teacher, Sam was known for his high standards for quality writing as well as his adherence to the use of essay exams; he was not proponent of multiple choice. Sam retired from teaching in 1996. He and Kathleen remained in the Charleston area in retirement.
Sam was a skilled gardener who in the family's early years in Illinois grew much of the produce they consumed, with Kathleen canning what wasn't eaten fresh. Throughout his life, Sam was an avid fisherman and a voracious reader who instilled a love of books and learning in his sons. He also instilled a love of nature and a respect for self-reliance and hard work, as well as a dry sense of humor. Sam also loved dogs; while he would initially protest, he allowed the adoption of nearly a dozen stray mutts of questionable lineage throughout the years.
Sam is survived by his beloved wife, Kathleen, his four sons Samuel Mark (Tina), Timothy (Sherrie), Sean (Andrea), and Michael (Patricia). He is also survived by nine grandchildren, Patrick Brandon, Brian, Timothy, Katie, Samuel, Michael, Sarah, Aidan, and Daniel.
While losing a husband, father, and grandfather is difficult, Sam's family is grateful that he was in our lives for over six decades; Sam and Kathleen recently celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. The family would like to express their gratitude to the staffs of Second Floor East at Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital and Transitions Hospice for their kind support during this difficult time. The family is planning a celebration of life for Sam at a later date.
Please visit www.adamsfuneralchapel.com to leave condolences for his family.
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