Durella Fay Jenkins
May 17, 1933 - May 16, 2025
Durella Faye Jenkins passed away peacefully at her home in Blackwell, Oklahoma on May 16, 2025, one day before her 92nd birthday. A lifelong resident of Blackwell, Druella was born on May 17, 1933, the third child of Lola and John Thomas Dobbs.
Like many from her generation, Durella had to take on adult responsibilities at an early age. She cared for her younger brother Harlan while her mother worked at the Boeing Factory in Wichita. A pivotal point in her early life came when, as a 14-year old she was hired to work behind the soda fountain counter at Lew Howard Drug’s. She often said that she got the job because she was dragging Harlan along when she went for the interview. Durella loved the fast-paced work at the soda fountain, but beyond that it was pivotal in her life because that was where she met her future husband, Charles Leroy Jenkins.
Durella and Charles were married in 1951 in Fort Smith, AR. The young couple soon embarked on building their own home; Durella’s specialty was mixing cement using an old wheelbarrow and a hoe! Over time, their union was blessed with 3 sons and 2 daughters. When her youngest daughter started kindergarten in 1966, Durella went to work at Blackwell Nursing Home. A bright, productive worker, she progressed from nurses aid, to dishwasher, moving to become cook, then finally progressing to certified dietary manager during her 40-year career.
Any conversation about Durella quickly turns to her favorite hobbies and passions: cooking, baking, cross stitch, embroidery, and cake decorating. On the TV, she liked to watch football and game shows like Jeopardy. She loved going to Yellowstone and the mountains. Her more unusual family adventures included digging for crystals at Salt Plains, going to the diamond mines in Arkansas, and cooking over an open fire during a raging thunderstorm while camping. A running family joke among her children was that on vacation each evening their mom would throw-away half the rocks that their dad had collected earlier that day!
After Charles’ passing in March 2015, Durella was able to stay in her beloved home through the loving care provided by her granddaughter Lindsey and great granddaughter Cheyenne.
Durella’s family extends over 5 generations. She is survived by her older brother Harold Dobbs, her children: Rodney (Tammy), Allan (Robbie), Gary (Jynda), Debbie (Stephen), Terri Rowe; 11 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren, 2 great-great grandchildren, one dog and two cats. Durella was preceded in death by her younger brother, Harlan Ray Dobbs, and her older sister, LaVera Cole, grandson Aden Hundley, and son-in-law Roger Rowe.
The family would like to share that -- to the best of their knowledge (according to Google searches & INTERPOL) -- there has only been one Durella Faye Jenkins IN THE WORLD!
Visitation will Be Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the Roberts Funeral Home from 8:30 am till 8:00 pm
Funeral services are set for Friday, May 23, 2025, in The Roberts Funeral Home Chapel at 1:00 pm. Burial will follow in the Nardin Cemetery.
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