Theodore "Ted" Jenkins, 97, of Orlando, Florida passed away peacefully on December 5, 2022. Ted was born on September 3, 1925 in Chanute, Kansas. He proudly served in the United States Navy as a medical corpsman in WWII and played trombone in the Navy Band. Ted was incredibly proud of his country and hearing the US national anthem always brought tears to his eyes.
Ted was an electrical and computer engineer with Lockheed Martin for over 30 years and traveled the world doing military contract work. He was stationed overseas in Taiwan in the ‘80s, where he met his wife Nickie. After returning to the US, Ted and his family continued to travel for his work at different military bases in AL, NC, and finally FL, where he finished his professional years with Lockheed Martin and retired.
After his retirement, Ted continued to make a difference by volunteering at Orange County Public Schools on school advisory boards. His love of learning never stopped, and he taught himself new computer programming languages at home for many years after his retirement. Ted enjoyed reading novels by Tom Clancy, drinking his coffee, watching NBA and college football games, and watching movies. Ted loved John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movies, and he enjoyed big band music, especially on The Lawrence Welk Show.
He also had his classic Ted look, with his pants held up by his suspenders. Ted had a love for kids, which was truly felt by his daughters growing up, and was also apparent by how his grandkids loved and interacted with him. He always made his grandkids giggle with his jokes, his sound effects, and his singing. There were several songs that Ted and his grandkids liked to sing together, and they always ended the songs with a big group hug.
Ted always had a special way with people and was well-liked by all. Most people remember Ted for his warm, happy, charismatic personality and his great sense of humor. Without exception, he would always laugh at the sound of a fart. And his laughs were genuine, joyful, and infectious…always making everyone else in the room laugh with him. One of his favorite quotes was “don't take any wooden nickels”, which he would always tell his kids and grandkids when he said goodbye to them.
But above all, everyone remembers Ted for his huge kind heart. His love was truly unconditional, and he had a very special way of accepting and forgiving people. Ted was a man of love and faith, and he not only believed it, but he lived it. Someone described Ted by saying that “they don’t make men like him anymore”.
Ted's love and compassion is survived by his wife Nickie, his daughters Pei-Ling and Christene, and his grandchildren Sarah, Geneva, Ansley, Liam, and Emily. Ted leaves a legacy of love for his children and grandchildren. Ted loved his family deeply and, while we miss him immensely, we take comfort in knowing that he is now at peace and surrounded by God’s warmth and light.
“See you later, love you a bunch! And don’t take any wooden nickels!” ~Ted Jenkins
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