Polly Ann Jenkins

Polly Sharpe Jenkins, a long-time resident of Raleigh and Cary, died in Henderson on December 22, 2024, at age 93, after a brief illness. She was born on May 9, 1931, the second of four daughters, to William P. "Bill" Sharpe and Sallie Herring Sharpe. Although she was born in Winston-Salem and lived in many places, Polly always considered Raleigh to be her hometown. She graduated from Hugh Morson High school (1949) and Peace College (1952). Her father, Bill Sharpe, was a publicist for the State of North Carolina in the late 1930s and 1940s, and was the owner, editor, and publisher of The State magazine in the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1954, Polly married H. L. Pete Jenkins, who died in 1999. Polly's survivors include her three children (Jeff Jenkins and his wife Dana, of Henderson; Kit Jenkins, of Raleigh; and Lee Bishop), her two grandchildren (Rev. Rachel Jenkins Shepherd, and John Homer Jenkins and his wife Allison, all living in Asheville), her two younger sisters (Susan Houg and Sallie McCauley and her husband Andy) in California and Virginia, and eight nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Pete, and her older sister Betty Lou Bruton, of Candor NC.

Employed off and on as a secretary/typist, often by churches, Polly enjoyed keeping journals, writing poetry, and painting landscapes. She was an accomplished singer in her school and church choirs (most recently First United Methodist Church in Cary) and was deeply involved in other church activities and missions.

Polly's remains will be interred beside those of her husband in the veterans' area of Montlawn Cemetery in Raleigh. A graveside memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be sent to the music fund at First United Methodist Church (117 S. Academy Street, Cary NC, 27511) or the Pete Jenkins Scholarship fund at the School of Engineering at N.C. State University (with checks made payable to the NC State Engineering Foundation, and mailed to NCSU, Campus Box 7901, Raleigh NC 27695).

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, Cary NC.