Ernest Jenkins Obituary

Ernest Raymond Jenkins, Jr. CHARLESTON - Ernest Raymond Jenkins, Jr., went to be with his Lord and Savior, on April 18, 2016. Born on April 16, 1918, on 4 Carolina Street, in downtown Charleston, he was the son of Ernest and Amanda Jones Jenkins, and had four sisters and three brothers, one being his twin brother, Kinsey John-Hampton Jenkins. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps at the age of 24, and retired in 1976 from the United States Air Force Reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was a World War II Prisoner of War in Germany for 16 months and a life member of the Low Country Chapter of the American Ex-POW group. In 1983 he retired as a District Manager for the Employment Security Commission. He is a member of the Washington Light Infantry, a life member of the Sons of the American Revolution and the National Sojourners, Inc. He belonged to several fraternal organizations: A Past Master of Orange-Charlestown Lodge # 14, Past District Deputy Grand Master in 1970, a life member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, KCCH and a former member of the OMAR Shrine Temple Staff. He belonged to Betsy Ross Chapter #189, Order of the Eastern Star, a Past Royal Patron of Palmetto Court #1, Order of the Amaranth, and was a member of the White Shrine of Jerusalem. He was a faithful member of The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke and Saint Paul, serving as a Past Senior Warden. Known as the "rock" of his family, he enjoyed dinner and dancing in his younger years, supported his children through school, and was even an avid hunter with his son. In recent years, he enjoyed his outings with his grandson and his great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by the love of his life with 70 years of marriage, Sarah Fulton Jenkins, and his two daughters Anita Jenkins and Genevieve "Betsy" Jenkins Fleming. He is survived by a son, Ernest "Jenks" R. Jenkins III and his wife Sandra Bullock; a daughter, Sarah Jenkins Johnson and her husband Roger Hare, all of Charleston, SC; two grandchildren: William Benjamin Fleming of Columbia, SC and C.N. Sean Johnson, Jr. and his wife Michelle of Hanahan, SC and his three precious jewels, his great-grandchildren: Emma Anne, Neil Raymond and Carl Hampton Johnson, all of Hanahan, SC; his sister, Amanda Jenkins Doscher of Charleston, SC and his sisters-in-law, Dorothy "Dot" Jenkins and Annabelle Rumph Jenkins of Mt. Pleasant, SC and several nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends and family on Thursday April 21, 2016 from 5pm to 7pm, with Masonic Rites at 6:30pm, at McAlister-Smith Funeral Home West Ashley Chapel. The celebration of life will be held on Friday April 22, 2016 at 11am at The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke and Saint Paul, 126 Coming Street, Charleston, SC 29403. Interment will follow at Riverview Memorial Gardens, with full Military Honors. A reception will follow at the Charleston County Masonic Association, 1285 Orange Grove Road, Charleston, SC 29407. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke and Saint Paul, 126 Coming Street, Charleston, SC 29403. Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at www.mcalister-smith.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to McALISTER-SMITH FUNERAL HOME, 2501 BEES FERRY ROAD, CHARLESTON, SC 29414, 843-722-8371. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston