JARVIS W. JENKINS
1927-2019
Jarvis W. Jenkins was born October 10, 1927 to Trenton O. Jenkins and Agnes (Corbitt) Jenkins in Shreveport, Louisiana. Jarvis died peacefully in her home in Royse City, Texas surrounded by friends and family, and under the care of Centric Hospice on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at the age of 92.
She had one brother, Rudolf LaValle Jenkins, who owned and operated Rudy’s School of Dance in Houston, Texas.
Jarvis took courses in food handling at the University of Houston. She worked for 3 years at the Tower Cafeteria on Westheimer; 2 years at the Chain Pastry Shop on Almeda; and 1 year at the Humble Oil Company Cafeteria (all located in Houston, Texas). Jarvis then took a course in comptometry at the Downtown School of Comptometry in Houston, Texas and worked at Carnation
Milk Company in the auditing department for 6 years, and at Sears, Roebuck and Company’s auditing department on Griggs Road for 23 years. She retired at age 55.
She joined the United States Air Force Reserves in 1952 and was honorably discharged. She was also proud to have relatives who served in the Texas Rangers, an elite law enforcement organization in Texas.
Jarvis was a member of the Order of the Eastern
Star (a Masonic appendant body), Park Place Chapter; a member of Park Place Methodist Church being especially active in women’s activities; and more recently an active member of Family Bible Church in Royse City, Texas.
Jarvis was a loyal Republican since the days of Barry Goldwater. She travelled to, and participated in, many Republican gatherings all across the U.S. and was photographed with several future U.S. presidents at these events. She spoke fondly and often of her volunteer work at the poles each election year.
She was very proud of the fact that she was related to Anna Maria Jarvis who led the movement for, and was founder of, Mother’s Day Holiday. Anna’s mother had often expressed a desire for a special day to commemorate mothers and on May 10, 1908 (3 years after Anna’s mother passed away) the official first Mother’s Day Holiday was observed in Grafton, West Virginia.
In Jarvis’ early years travel, politics, church and saltwater fishing were her passions.
Her later years were filled with tending her gardens, flowers, fruit trees and caring for animals. She even set up a small stand named “Jarvis’s Produce and Poultry” where she would sell farm-fresh produce from her garden and eggs she collected daily from her chicken coop. She stayed very busy up until this last year. One constant for Jarvis though, whether 75 years ago or 7 days ago, was her love for church and family... that passion and devotion never waned and for that special trait she will always be remembered fondly and with a smile.
Jarvis is preceded in death by her grandmother, Virginia Jarvis Corbitt; grandfather, Jackson Stallings Corbitt; mother, Agnus Corbitt Jenkins; father, Trenton O. Jenkins; brother, Rudolf LaValle Jenkins; aunts, Ouida Corbitt, Winnie Bruhn and Eva Brown; uncles, Aubrey Corbitt (former mayor of Gilbert, LA for 20 years), Zuma Corbitt, Claud Corbitt and Leonidas Corbitt; and cousin, Louise Mannchen, and life long friend, Anna Rice.
Jarvis is survived by nieces, Pamela R. Avery and Penelope V. Avery; greatnephews/nieces, Jason P. McIver (Jennifer), Joshua B. McIver (Kim), and Victoria L. Warwick (Adrian); great-great-nephews/nieces, Joshua L. McIver, Drake M. McIver, Cameron P. McIver,
Briley R. McIver, and Olivia R. Warwick; cousins, Brandt Mannchen (Lynda) and
Kurt Mannchen (Margaret); numerous extended family as well as close family friends Ann and Doug Blalock, Rick Avery, and Dean Willis.
Services will be held Monday, December 30, 2019 at 10AM in the South Park Funeral Home chapel with the graveside service to follow at SouthPark Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Sierra Club Foundation Lone Star Chapter, P.O. Box 4998, Austin, TX 78765 (or online at sierraclub.org); The American Cancer Society; or to your favorite charity.