John W. "Bill" Jenkins

John W. “Bill” Jenkins, 89, of Newton died on Friday, May 21, 2021, at Newton Health Care Center.  A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, May 26, 2021, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory. The family will greet friends from 5-7 p.m., Tuesday, May 25, at the funeral home. Memorials to Hospice of the Midwest or to Bill’s family (checks made payable to Brenda Lamb) may be left at the funeral home.

Bill, the son of Daniel B. and Aura Vesta (Fleming) Jenkins, was born on January 14, 1932 in Newton.  He was a lifelong resident of Newton.  Bill was united in marriage with Leitha M. Gragg on April 2, 1954 in Unionville, Missouri. They were blessed with four children.  Bill worked as a farmhand, for Newton Foundry, and then at Dealers Warehouse, where he was hired as a Dock Foreman but later retired as a salesman. After retirement he worked at NFIB and then part-time at Dell Oil and as a sample driver for Keystone Labs. Following Leitha’s death in 2004, Bill was united in marriage with Gladys (Bland) Ervin on February 15, 2009 in Newton. Bill was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church, a 50+ year member of the Newton Moose Lodge #923, and served on the board and is in the Hall of Fame of JCUSBC. He also was a youth bowling coach and the League Secretary of the Thursday Night Splitters.  Bill enjoyed hunting, fishing, going for drives to Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge, racing, and rodeos.  He loved a good steak!

Bill is survived by his children, Bill (Janice) Jenkins, Jr., Dan (Tricia) Jenkins, Brenda (Bryan) Lamb, and Doug Jenkins, all of Newton; grandchildren, Rachel (Rich) Austin, Stephanie (Adrian) Good, Devin Lamb, Clay Lamb, Courtney Jenkins, Alex Jenkins, and Shane Jenkins; step-grandchildren, Chris (Erica) Crady, Chad (Aimee) Crady, Kyle (Lindsey) Hill, and Josie (Micheal) Thornton; his 11 great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Annie Jenkins of Arizona, and Judy Montgomery of Newton; and his many nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents; 1st wife, Leitha; 2nd wife, Gladys; grandson, Bo Meyer; siblings, Elma Rodgers, James Jenkins, Lucille Wolfe, Dean Jenkins, Dan Jenkins, and Merle Reedholm; and his dog, Shadow. 

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