Loretta Jenkins

Loretta O’Connor Jenkins, a New York City native, was born in 1933 and left us on February 15, 2025. She lost her loving husband, Frederick Douglas Jenkins, just two weeks prior. Loretta leaves her eight children, Laurie (Kevin Trostle) Jenkins, Linda (Michael) Salerno, Diane (Gregory) Sefcik, Catherine (Terry) Nichols, Doug (Donna) Jenkins, Loretta (David) Black, Daniel (Karen Halls) Jenkins, Carol (Christian) Medins, twenty grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren, and six bonus grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Carol (O’Connor) Costello, and was predeceased by her brother, Raymond Joseph O’Connor.

If you asked Loretta her proudest achievement, she would tell you all about her family of eight children. And that story started when Doug saw Loretta across a dance floor at the Pepsi Cola Club - she, all of thirteen years and a well-known great dancer, and he, sixteen. Married in 1951, Loretta and Doug built a life for their growing family in Astoria, then Long Island, and later, northern New Jersey and Massachusetts. Loretta managed a large family operation of eight children, coordinating and managing the number of meals made, the tons of laundry and ironing accomplished, sick children tended, and so much more. She and Doug celebrated their 74th wedding anniversary in January and left a remarkable legacy for an army of descendants.

Loretta’s Roman Catholic faith defined much of who she was and decisions she made throughout her life. She relied on her strong beliefs and its values as she shaped the growth of her children and brought new energy to her relationship with Doug through the years they participated in Marriage Encounter.

Mom had a variety of jobs outside the home, starting as a teenager as a switchboard operator. Later she used those skills again at a major pharmaceutical company who used her voice as the “voice” of the company for incoming calls. She worked as a bank teller at a local savings bank and later became the bank manager. And all of this while raising her eight children! Before retiring, Loretta worked in accounts management at a local private college.

A stylish dresser with a good eye for home decorating, Loretta believed in good quality and great care of whatever entered the home and taught those who lived with her the same. She took great joy in choosing presents for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, sending them all around the country before Christmas, and she never forgot a birthday. The iPad in Mom’s later years became a close friend and helped keep her connected with friends and family.

Loretta and Doug started their retirement adventures making a long tour of this beautiful country, visiting most of the well-known National Parks. They enjoyed trips to Ireland, Scotland, Italy and France, frequently in the company of Loretta’s sister, Carol (Edward) Costello, and her brother, Raymond (Jeanne) O’Connor. Loretta felt the call of her ancestors’ homeland in Ireland, and visited more than once. She loved the poetry of Yeats and continued to share her favorites on special occasions.

Family was the heart of Loretta’s life. Always ready to help when called, she made her way to places all over the country to assist, whether new baby or new house. With eight children and celebrations too numerous to remember, Loretta and Doug were present at baptisms and high school graduations galore.

Loretta was loving, hardworking, smart, witty, sharp as a tack, great dancer, and a good friend to people she grew to know, and a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, cousin, and aunt.

Visitation will be from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm Thursday, February 20, 2025, at Edwards Funeral Home Chapel, with the Rosary Service to start at 6:00 pm. Funeral Mass will be 11:00 am Friday, February 21, 2025, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Interment will be at Steep Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the following organization in Loretta’s name:

National Council of the U.S. Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 66 Progress Parkway, Maryland Heights, MO 63043, or go to https://ssvpusa.org.