Roll Call Tribute

John David Jenkins 

August 5, 1937 - December 22, 2023 

John David Jenkins, 86, husband of Jerry Ann Jenkins, passed away on December 22, 2023, at the Compassionate Care Center in Richmond, KY. He was born in Toledo, Ohio on August 5, 1937, to the late Zora Jenkins and William G. Jenkins.

John and his family moved to Union City, Indiana when he was five. Following his high school graduation, he received a Bachelors Degree in Education from Ball State University. During his undergraduate year, he was an active member in Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Friendships remained important throughout his life. During these years, he met his future wife, Jerry Ann Applegate, and they were married July 3, 1960.

John began his teaching career in Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois in 1959. After completing a Masters Degree from Ball State, and receiving encouragement from a favorite professor to consider college teaching, he began that experience at Ohio University as an Instructor of Industrial Technology. In 1967, he became an Assistant Professor at Ohio State University.

During those years, he completed a doctoral program at Texas A&M University. In 1970, a phone call from a friendship made at Texas A&M led him to Eastern Kentucky University. He retired Professor Emeritus after 30 years at Eastern Kentucky University in 2000. Professional activities, in addition to teaching and development of curriculum, included being co-author of a textbook Comprehension Graphic Arts with a classmate at Texas A&M. John was active in the National Association in Industrial Technology and served as an officer and chairman for many accreditation teams. Working with students and assisting their growth was what he continued to accomplish along with a faculty of outstanding colleagues and friends at EKU.

John was a kind, loving, and supportive person who loved his family dearly. Anytime and anywhere they could be together brought smiles and precious memories. A lifetime love for fishing continued with yearly trips with friends to Canada. Eastern Kentucky athletics were important to John. He went to many football practices, radio shows, and coaches luncheons. He enjoyed being President of the Colonel Club in 1995-1996. When mobility became a problem, ESPN+ and his iPad were popular!

He is preceded in death by his parents, sister Carol Jenkins, stepmother Alice Jenkins and his sister-in-law, Karen Reasoner.

Surviving are his wife, Jerry Ann Jenkins, daughter Joellen Kuhn and her husband Karl and their sons, Parker and his wife Grace and their daughter Charlotte, and Trey and his fiance Sidney Schieder. Also surviving are his sister Jule Rider and her husband Darrell, their son Dr. David Rider, and his wife Dr. Jayma Moore, and their sons Sean and Steven and their daughter Beth Rider, brother-in-law Richard Reasoner and his wife Betty Lou and Nephews Tim Reasoner and his wife Katie and their sons, Graham, Kyle and Luke, Tom Reasoner and his wife Jenny and their sons Jake, Zach and Cole.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2024 with visitation at 2:00PM and a service following a 3:00PM at Oldham, Roberts and Powell, 1110 Barnes Mill Road, Richmond, KY. In lieu of Flowers, please consider donation in his memory to Hospice Compassionate Care Center, 350 Isaacs Lane, Richmond, KY 40475, or First Christian Church, PO Box 515, Richmond, KY 40476.