Thomas Anthony Jenkins

Thomas Anthony Jenkins, Jr., beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, passed away peacefully at home on April 11, 2026, surrounded by his five children. He was 92.

Tom was born on October 29, 1933, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Thomas and Catherine Gerhard Jenkins. The eldest of six children, he moved with his family to Coco Solo in the Panama Canal Zone in 1935, arriving in Panama on Christmas Day when he was just two years old. His father worked at the Naval Submarine Base in Coco Solo, and the Canal Zone became the place that shaped Tom’s childhood, character, and lifelong identity.

A proud Zonian, Tom carried vivid memories of what he often described as a nearly idyllic childhood in the Canal Zone. Those years formed deep roots and friendships that sustained him throughout his life. More than 60 years later, during a return visit to Panama, he amazed his family with his extraordinary memory, pointing out landmarks, buildings, and roadways with perfect clarity. He remained connected to his Canal Zone friends and community, attending reunions well into his eighties.

During World War II, Tom and his family were evacuated to the United States in April 1942 and returned to the Canal Zone in May 1945, just days before V-E Day. On the evacuation voyage back to the United States aboard the USS Garfield, the convoy was followed by a German U-boat. One day from the ship Tom saw burning tankers, heard depth charges, and spent the day at the lifeboat stations as passengers were not allowed to return below deck. As a young boy he found this experience exciting, an early demonstration of a fearlessness that would be a lifelong trait.

Tom graduated from Balboa High School in the Canal Zone in 1953. He was an outstanding athlete who participated in track, swimming, and football, and he was part of a relay team that set a track record that stood for decades. His athletic discipline, determination, and drive remained with him throughout his life and even through his final illness. In 1949, he represented the Canal Zone in the Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio. He traveled as a teen from Panama to New York and then on to Akron, demonstrating his sense of adventure and independent nature at an early age.

Upon graduation from high school, Tom enlisted in the Navy Reserves after reading books about divers in high school inspired him to become a Navy diver. However, to his dismay he was first placed in the Naval Weapons Program, which took him to Bainbridge, Maryland, Great Lakes, Illinois, and then to the Nuclear Weapons Training Center at Sandia Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he worked under top-secret security clearance. After two years, he reenlisted and transitioned from the Reserves to active-duty Navy service.

Still part of the nuclear weapons program, he received orders to San Diego, California, and eventually embarked on tours aboard the USS Lexington and USS Midway, where he spent nearly three years touring the Western Pacific. Tom loved life on the high seas and the many ports of call he visited around the world. Years later, while on a San Diego Harbor cruise, he could still point out the exact porthole above his assigned berth aboard the Midway.

Seven years after first enlisting, Tom’s dream came true in 1960 when he received orders to report to the U.S. Navy Deep Sea Diving School in Washington, D.C. He went on to become a first-class Navy diver, later serving as a diving instructor and eventually training divers who were part of the historic SEALAB program. Tom loved his life as a U.S. Navy diver and was proud to have helped push the boundaries of saturation diving. His service included several rescues, including the 1965 Rowland Cave rescue, for which he was awarded the Secretary of the Navy’s Commendation Medal.

He traveled the world in service to his country, and when he was home, he devoted himself just as fully to his loving family. After retiring from the Navy, he earned a master’s degree in public administration from National University and worked for many years at General Dynamics, Convair Division contributing to quality control on the Tomahawk cruise missile project.

Tom was married to his beloved wife, Irene, for 45 years until her passing in 2008. After Irene’s death, he lovingly took on the tradition of sending birthday cards to his grandchildren, often revealing the clever wit and sense of humor his family cherished.

He was a natural engineer, tinkerer, mentor, and the ultimate DIY dad. He loved woodworking and repairing family cars, and he generously shared his knowledge and skills with his children, grandchildren, and anyone who needed help with a project. He had an easy way of teaching, a generous spirit, and a saying for every occasion. His timing, humor, and ability to read a room made people laugh and made every gathering brighter.

Tom is survived by his children, Teresa Anguizola, Susan Jenkins, Jacqueline Jenkins, Thomas Jenkins, and Colleen Graney and her husband, Mike; his grandchildren, Elise, Brandon, Garrett, Morgan, Taylor, Abigail, Ben, Christopher, Summer, Connor, Max, Reese, Joanna, Eduardo, and Giselle; and his great-grandchildren, Rex, Cole, and Blaire. He is also survived by his brothers Joseph Jenkins and his wife, Barbara, and John Jenkins; his adoring sister Kathleen Cuartas and her husband, Jaime; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife, Irene; his sister, Marie; and his brother, Bill.

Tom’s life was one of courage, service, curiosity, humor, craftsmanship, devotion, and love. He leaves behind a family strengthened by his example, a legacy shaped by service and generosity, and countless stories that will continue to be told with laughter, pride, and affection.

Visitation, viewing, and vigil will take place on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., (Vigil beginning at 6:00 p.m), at Pacific Beach – La Jolla Chapel, 4710 Cass Street, San Diego, CA 92109. Memorial ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, 1700 Cabrillo Memorial Drive, San Diego, CA 92106.