Gennette Jean Jenkins

Jean Jenkins went home to be with her Father in Heaven on August 11 at 9:20am after a long illness which had robbed her of memories and mobility. Jean was born Gennette Jean Dingus on December 3, 1928, in Cambridge, MD. Her parents were both medical professionals. Her mother Gennette Marcum Dingus was a nurse and Jean's father, Wilton Everett Dingus, was an x-ray and anesthesia specialist at Cambridge Hospital until 1937. The family was quarantined for tuberculosis in that year, and Jean and her mother had to live without her father nearby. Jean grew up with Fraley cousins in Cambridge, including Billy, Edna Mae, Jack and Don Fraley. Jean kept in touch with her Dingus grandparents and cousins in Kentucky throughout her life. Jean graduated from Cambridge High School in 1945 and went on to Montreat Jr. College and then Western Maryland College. Her first job was student teaching in Bel Air, MD, where she met Donald Wentworth. They were married in Baltimore in 1950. Their only child, Deborah, was born in Baltimore in 1954. Shortly after this they moved to Severna Park. Donald and Jean were divorced in 1969. Jean always had a passion for history and reading and was destined to become a teacher of many subjects. She tutored Spanish and English in her house in Severna Park. For 50 years she taught Sunday school and women’s bible classes. She got her Master’s degree in 1966 in history from the University of Maryland. In 1972, Jean met and married the love of her life, Robert Jenkins. Bob had a warmth and humor that she had been missing for many years. When Bob’s law practice took off, they moved to Baltimore City. There Jean studied at Baltimore Hebrew College and St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute of Theology and learned the basics of Greek and Hebrew languages along with divinity studies. In 1980, Bob and Jean helped establish Faith Christian Fellowship in Baltimore’s inner city, serving as charter members and leaders for 15 years. Bob and Jean moved from Baltimore in 1995 to a big farmhouse, the house of her dreams, in Cambridge. There was plenty of room for chihuahuas, grandchildren and friends to gather, spend the weekend, and celebrate their extended family. Jean found work not only in a law office but volunteered her extensive historical knowledge to the local library and Dorchester Historical Society. Jean and Bob were instrumental in getting a church started in Cambridge, spending the next 10 years growing the ministry and establishing a church family. Jean was preceded in death by her mother in 1987, her husband Bob in 2010, and a stepdaughter Katherine Jenkins Hein who passed away in 2022. She is survived by one daughter, Deborah McKee (Jim) of Easton, MD, and a stepdaughter, Diane Jenkins Cox (Wayne) of Berlin, MD. She has three grandsons: Ryan McKee (Claire) of Christchurch, New Zealand; James K. McKee of Virginia Beach, VA; Kevin McKee (Linnea) of Faber, VA; and one great-grandchild, Jade Elizabeth McKee of Christchurch, New Zealand. She also leaves behind step-grandchildren who called her “Granny”-- Victoria Cox, (Andrew Scott) of Johnson City, TN; Robert Cox (Lindsay) of Lufkin, TX; Diana Cox Cole (Tyler) of Centerville, MD; step-granddaughters Caitlin and Rebecca Hein; step-grandsons Tyler and Nolan Hein; and 7 step-great grandchildren. Jean’s family wishes to thank the staff at Heartfields in Easton for giving her a lovely home in her last six years. She had pleasant moments visiting with her tablemates and listening to piano music in the gathering room. A memorial service for Jean will be held on October 7, 11am at Fellows, Helfenbein, and Newnam Funeral Home in Easton, Maryland. For updates and to leave memories, please visit fhnfuneralhome.com.

Gennette Jean Jenkins

December 3, 1928 - August 11, 2022