Thomas Henry Jenkin, Jr.

On Thursday December 30th, 2021, my father Thomas H. Jenkin Jr. passed away peacefully. He was born in San Francisco California on July 10, 1929 to Thomas H. Sr. and Ruth Jenkin. He attended San Francisco public schools and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1947. He attended City College of San Francisco where he earned an Associate of Arts degree in architecture. After graduation he was drafted into the United States Army and attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. There he graduated as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry and was sent to serve with the 7th Armored Division at Camp Roberts, California before being assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division during the Korean War. In Korea he received a battlefield promotion to First Lieutenant, was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and the Bronze Star Medal for heroic service in a combat zone. He returned from the war in 1953 and continued to serve in the Army Reserve until 1980 where after 30 years of service with the Army he retired a full Colonel and Assistant Division Commander of the 91st Division.

After returning from the Korean War, my dad entered the University of California, Berkeley to continue to study architecture. He graduated from the Berkeley School of Architecture in 1959 and became a Licensed Architect in 1967. He worked as an architect for the City and County of San Francisco and used his skills to design many projects for family and friends including the beautiful ranch home of the Wright Ranch in Healdsburg, CA.

In the 1980’s he became the architect in the San Francisco Office of Emergency Services, and in 1988 he was appointed Director of the San Francisco Office Of Emergency Services. He was serving in this capacity during the Loma Prieta earthquake 1989. In 1990 he retired from the City and County of San Francisco to spend time golfing and traveling with his wife Emily. My dad married his one true love, Emily Lu Stewart on July 14, 1956. He and Emily had two daughters, Joyce Ann Jenkin and Joan Alison Jenkin. Tom was preceded in death by Emily in 2005 and I know he missed her terribly. Tom was a loving husband, father, friend and family member. He was a community leader, active in veterans groups and an avid outdoorsman and artist. He loved working with his hands and spending time with his “second family” in Healdsburg on the Wright Ranch. It was here where he was the happiest and felt most at home. It was here that his sharp wit and love for family was most evident. Although he found it difficult to express his emotions, dad worked hard to make sure his family always had what they needed and knew they we were loved. My sister and I will miss him every day and will honor his memory every chance we get.

He will be cremated, and at his request his ashes will be joined with Emily’s so they will be reunited. Instead of flowers the family would appreciate donations to The Korean War Memorial Foundation, 1806 Belles Street #6-B, The Presidio, San Francisco, CA 94129 www.kwmf.org, or SupplyBank.Org (K to College), 7730 Pardee Lane, Oakland, CA 94621.