Couple killed after funeral were ‘amazing people’

A Tennessee couple who died in a car wreck shortly after leaving a relative’s funeral on Saturday night were known as compassionate and caring people in the small town of Pegram, a tight-knit community of about 2,000 residents west of Nashville.

Cameo SandersJenkins, 38, and Troy Jenkins, 49, were killed Saturday evening when a classic car they were riding in abruptly accelerated into a stone wall along Cato Road.

“They were amazing people,” said Amber Phillips, 27, a relative of the couple. “I just can’t name one person they did not help in some way.”

Phillips said she came to depend on the Jenkins couple about two years ago after the father of her youngest child was killed in a homicide. The victim, Greg Sanders, was Cameo Jenkins’ nephew, and in the wake of his death, the Jenkins supported Phillips and her young son.

“She was there for us, physically and emotionally,” Phillips said. “She was a mentor, a friend, and she was even my realtor — she helped me buy my home.”

Troy Jenkins was a maintenance worker for property management company.

Sanders-Jenkins was a broker for Jeanette Realtors, where she began real estate work about six years ago, and colleagues said she proven herself as a kind but determined professional.

“She had a spark to her, and nobody pushed her around and nobody ran over her,” said Daniel Miller, another broker at the firm. “But she would also help anybody — her family, her friends — she was there for everyone.”

The Jenkins were killed Saturday in a singlecar crash shortly after leaving the funeral of their cousin, according to police. Police originally identified the relative as the couple’s son, but later corrected that information.

The couple were riding in a 1968 Camaro while traveling on Cato Road. The Camaro accelerated rapidly, and although police found signs of braking, the car could not slow sufficiently and struck a rock wall on the side of the road, police said.

The couple were wearing seat belts, but due to the age of the Camaro, it only had lap belts. The car was not equipped with airbags.

The Jenkins were rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.