He will always be remembered as a devoted and faithful husband, father, grandfather, and friend to all those who knew and loved him.
Larry was born on June 29, 1934, in Goldsboro, NC, to the late Julian Lawrence Jenkins, Sr., and Ollie Moore Jenkins. Larry graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond, VA where he was a star basketball player. He matriculated to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity and played college basketball. In the mid-1950s he served in the U.S. Army while stationed in Stuttgart, Germany. He met the love of his life while at Virginia Beach and was soon united in marriage to Sue Bledsoe Amory on December 27, 1958. After his military service, he returned to college and graduated in 1960 with a bachelor's in Aerospace Engineering. He began his career at NASA – Langley (VA) Research Center later the same year, where he participated in numerous wind-tunnel tests of experimental rotors. The young couple started their family and then settled in Hampton, VA. Larry went on to earn his Masters in Aerospace Engineering, completing a thesis on rotor-blade stability. During his NASA years, he developed computer code that was built on his thesis. In 1978, he was presented with the opportunity to be the Chief Research Engineer at Fort Worth, TX-based Bell Helicopter, a division of Textron Corp., so he moved his family to Arlington, TX.
At Bell, he was promoted multiple times and ultimately became the head of the Research & Technology division. Over his career, he worked on many federal government-sponsored contracts, led experimental projects, mentored many engineers, and authored or contributed to numerous technical papers. Larry contributed to one of the most innovative aircraft ever designed, the tiltrotor, which became the V-22 Osprey. He was a member of the American Helicopter Society and held many roles and offices over several decades within the organization. He retired from Bell in 1998, and then he and Sue relocated to Williamsburg, VA to be near old friends and family.
Larry was a man of God. Over the years, he was an active member of several churches: First United Methodist Church in Hampton, VA, Pantego Bible Church in Arlington, TX, and Williamsburg Community Chapel in Williamsburg, VA (where he was a leader of Crown Financial Ministries).
Larry was a man of many talents and varied interests and was known for both his intellect and sense of humor. He loved to travel with Sue and passionately followed his Cavaliers. He was extremely well-read, had a passion for American History, and read the paper daily along with completing the crossword puzzle. He loved boating on the waterways of Virginia and Lake Granbury and was a skilled captain. Larry was also a self-made master mechanic, electrician, and carpenter; he could fix or build anything. Despite his technical background and leanings, he was witty and always had a story. He was happiest when spending time with his family and friends. Most importantly, he was the patriarch and role model for his entire extended family, he will be greatly missed.
Survivors include son, Julian Lawrence Jenkins III and his wife Andrea of Charlotte, NC; son, Brian Amory Jenkins and his wife Deborah of Colleyville, TX; daughter, Christy Jenkins Van Duinen and her husband, Scott of Dallas, TX; seven grandchildren – Nicole Jenkins Williams and her husband Ryan of North Richland Hills, TX; Lauren Elizabeth Jenkins of Nashville, TN; Brian Amory Jenkins, Jr. of Euless, TX; Kristen Alexandra Jenkins of Newport Beach, CA; John “Jack” Ryan Van Duinen, Caleb Fulton Van Duinen and Ethan Amory Van Duinen, all of Dallas, TX; one great-grandchild, Emersen Deborah Williams, and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sue Amory Jenkins, and his sister, Jean Jenkins Middleton of Durham, NC.
A Celebration of Life will be at 10:00 am on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home Hall, located at 5725 Colleyville Blvd, Colleyville, TX 76034.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in his honor to the American Heart Association, PO Box 840692, Dallas, TX 75284-0692, or online at https://www.heart.org. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.bluebonnethills.com.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.bluebonnethills.com for the Jenkins Jr. family.
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