Mary Lou Jenkins, 87, Mother, Wife, Grandmother, Great Grandmother

Mary Lou Jenkins

February 8, 1937 – September 6, 2024

Mary Lou Jenkins, in her own words, went “home to God and Ed” (her husband of 57 years) on September 6, 2024. She died peacefully, surrounded by family and cared for compassionately by the amazing nurses, respiratory therapists, and medical staff at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor.

Mary Lou was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on February 8, 1937, to Josephine and James McKibbin. Eleven months later, her sister Peggy was born, and the family lived in Silver Spring, Maryland, for several years before moving to Texas and eventually settling in Michigan. Mary Lou loved spending summers on the farm in Amboy, Illinois, with Peggy and their 12 cousins. For decades, she entertained her family with tales of skinny-dipping in the creek, sneaking into the kitchen to make late-night fudge, and hypnotizing chickens – much to the chagrin of her aunt.

Upon graduation from Grosse Pointe High School in 1955, Mary Lou attended Michigan State University. In her first week at MSU, while waiting in line to enroll in an honor’s English class, Mary Lou met Ed Jenkins. He asked her out for coffee and thus began a whirlwind romance – engaged by Thanksgiving and married on June 20, 1957. Mary Lou and Ed raised six children and enjoyed being grandparents to eleven amazing grandchildren and now three (soon-to-be four) great-grandchildren.

Mary Lou and Ed started their lives together in East Lansing, Michigan, living in Cherry Lane Apartments on the MSU campus. They then lived in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Ann Arbor before settling down in the small farm town of Saline, Michigan. Ed was busy with work at IBM – late nights and lots of travel – so Mary Lou took on the tremendous task of raising the kids and running a very busy household. She cooked, baked, cleaned, sewed, gardened, painted, wallpapered, refinished furniture, taught the kids how to swim in the pool she maintained, how to roller skate, ice skate and do all sorts of household and outdoor tasks. Mary Lou read to her children every single day as they grew up and helped with all manner of school and after-school projects. She was a room mother for 15 years straight and took on every extra school task her kids “volunteered” her for without hesitation, taking it all in stride. Mary Lou loved animals and never said no when the kids begged for a puppy or brought home a stray cat. She even arranged for Little Bit to have kittens so all the kids in the neighborhood could experience the wonder of birth.

Mary Lou was a great sport who loved to laugh and have a good time, never taking herself too seriously. Although she was always in a hurry and claimed she didn’t have any patience, she truly was patient and loving with her children and grandchildren.

Mary Lou returned to work once most of the kids were off to college. She enjoyed working at Limno Tech (a Water Resource Engineering firm), as well as Becker and Raeder Landscape Architects in Ann Arbor for several years, becoming quite computer savvy.

Upon retirement, Mary Lou and Ed headed south to Largo, Florida, where they lived happily for 22 years. Mary Lou walked along the beach, enjoying the sights and sounds of the Gulf of Mexico every morning. She made many wonderful friends in her Florida community, where she played tennis, pickleball, and golf, as well as hosted and attended many social gatherings. Mary Lou took on the roles of secretary and then president of their HOA in the Imperial Point neighborhood. Mary Lou and Ed also gave back to their community by volunteering with Meals on Wheels, delivering hot food to many people for 12 years. Additionally, Mary Lou volunteered weekly at the Indian Rocks Beach Library, where she was able to share her love of reading with the community and vacationers, while making lifelong friends.

After Ed passed away, Mary Lou knew that traveling would be more difficult, so she chose to return to Saline, making it easier for family to visit, even though she would miss the warm climate. This was typical of her caring nature. In addition to enjoying time with family, Mary Lou especially loved being an active member of St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church and spending time with her beloved orange tabby cat, Charlie. Mary Lou prayed devoutly every day and if you’re reading this, you were probably on her prayer list. Mary Lou cared deeply about the welfare of others and prayed for social justice, tolerance, and peace in our world.

Mary Lou is survived by her sister, Peggy Medley; her six children: Mike (Mary) Jenkins, Sue (Don) Dibble, Debbie (Joe) Finck, Tom (Joann) Jenkins, Bob (Christi) Jenkins, and Kevin (Stacey) Jenkins; eleven grandchildren: Danielle Jenkins, Alex Jenkins, Caedan Dibble, Elizabeth (Craig) Cameron, Emily Finck, Patrick (Brianna) Jenkins, Ryan (Mariah) Jenkins, Annie Jenkins, Ray Jenkins, David Raptis, and Ava Jenkins; and three great-grandchildren: Joshua, Josiah and Jacob Jenkins.

A funeral mass to honor Mary Lou will be held at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church in Saline, Michigan, on Monday, October 7, 2024. Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m. with mass at 10:30 a.m., followed by the inurnment of Mary Lou’s ashes in the columbarium at the church.

Lunch and the continued celebration of Mary Lou’s life will be held at Dan’s Downtown Tavern in Saline, Michigan, immediately following the service.

Should you desire, memorial donations may be made to the Humane Society of Huron Valley (hshv.org/donate), where Mary Lou adopted her best buddy, Charlie.