Michael Dean Jennings

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of a wonderful man, leaving his heartbroken wife, Jill to mourn him. Michael (“Mike”) D. Jennings, age 54, died unexpectedly on December 11, 2020.

Mike, also affectionately called “Tank” by friends fortunate to know and love him, was a caring, loving and a big bear of a man with a huge heart. Mike was born the eldest of three children on December 9, 1966. A Virginia native, Mike nurtured an early gift for athletics and was active in sports throughout his education. His athletic accomplishments include an impressive stint as a member of the football team of his alma mater, The College of William and Mary, and family and friends will fondly recall Mike’s foray into the professional football ranks when, as a recent college graduate, he was asked by the then known Washington Redskins to assume the role of a “human tackle target” during the Team’s preseason practices. In telling this story, Mike proudly joked that the merciless tackles he received from the Team’s 300-lbs linemen quickly forced him into retirement; however, he was also quick to remind us that he withstood those hits and walked off that playing field with pride and a sense of accomplishment. Mike, with his outsized sense of humor, was the very embodiment of humility, good cheer, and great storytelling.

After college, Mike, skilled with financial expertise and with a shrewd sense of business, shifted his focus from the playing field to the corporate spreadsheet. In his early working years, Mike worked in several financial positions. He then embarked on a long and accomplished career with Nutech Laundry and Textiles, Inc., where he served as the Controller. Mike’s long list of dedicated and happy corporate clients is a testament to the commitment and professionalism for which he was known.

Mike’s accomplishments were numerous—too many to name here—but he would readily acknowledge to anyone that his greatest life accomplishment was convincing the love of his life, Jill Robinson Jennings, to marry him. Mike and Jill met in 1990 while working for Contel and they started dating in 1993. The inseparable duo married on May 20, 1995 and spent the next 27 years living their life to the fullest by traveling the globe, opening their home to friends and family, and sharing their love and laughter along the way. Together, they shared their mutual passion for live music, theater, football, a proper Sunday brunch, and, of course, an ice-cold craft beer.

Mike is survived by his loving wife, Jill, his mother Paulette, brothers Scott and Patrick, sister-in-law Katie, brother-in-law Dustin, nephews Calvin and Carter, sister-in-law Donna and her husband Dayton, his nieces, Melanie and Courtney, and a large extended family.

Mike’s life was marked by his kindness, generosity, unparalleled integrity, and his ability to connect with anyone and everyone. One did not have to wonder if Mike was a friend because he was committed to demonstrating that he was. We will all miss his stories, his laughter and the twinkle in his eye. The world would be a much kinder place if it were filled with more people like Mike.

Due to the current health pandemic, his family will hold a memorial service and celebration of Mike’s life on a later date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Mike’s memory to The Mental Health Association of Maryland: https://www.mhamd.org/donation/.