Obituary for Oscar Harry Jenkins
Oscar H. Jenkins was born January 9, 1925 in Springfield Missouri. He was the fourth of five children. The family moved to Yakima, WA, when Oscar was a young boy. At age 17, during WWII, he enlisted in the Marines, becoming corporal of a machine gun crew. His unit saw action in Guam, the Marianas Islands, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands and in occupied China. When the War ended, he returned to Washington, trained as a barber, and married Ruth Smith.
Oscar’s first job as a barber was in a shop near Green Lake in Seattle. By the end of his first year there, he bought the shop. Working hard, he later bought the Cleaners next door, then knocked out the wall between it and the Barber Shop, creating a Barber and Sporting Goods store. As is said, “this was only the beginning. “
Barbering was a profession Oscar practiced into his nineties. However, his ideas, skills, energy, and determination meant his life was full of other enterprises as well. He found real estate interesting and began to explore possibilities. In Seattle he bought, renewed, then sold, houses and even a large office building. This was long before “flipping” was a common jargon. Oscar also bought houses that needed to be moved from their properties. He then learned how to do the relocations before selling them again.
It was in Seattle that Oscar lost his beloved Ruth. Their son, Raymond, married soon and life became lonely for Oscar. In a couple years, he married Glenna Rolle, who had two adult children. The couple came together as parents of three and grandparents to three. Both working, they began to spend time on Whidbey Island for relaxation. They loved the beauty and the people of Whidbey. It soon became apparent that this was the place where they wanted to live.
Moving to Coupeville, they became realtors and joined the office of a friend in Clinton. He and they, partnered in the development of Honeymoon Lake. The couple then launched their own realty business. This dynamic duo enjoyed years of teamwork. Glenna as broker, Oscar as salesman, with his barbershop a part of the office. During this time, they created Northgate Terrace from the ground up, including a Community Center in a community park, with swimming pool. Their vision was a family-centered living, a value expressed in their daily living. One niece said, “Uncle Oscar was a wonderful father figure to so many in the family. “
The last business the Jenkins incorporated was G and O Mini Storage, north of Oak Harbor. Oscar, with the help of Sherri Frisch, continued running the business until he died.
Oscar Jenkins, father of three, grandfather to 6, great grandfather to 5, great-great grandfather of 5, brother, uncle, and friend of many, will be missed.
The family asks that remembrances be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 Michigan Ave, Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601.
Oscar’s first job as a barber was in a shop near Green Lake in Seattle. By the end of his first year there, he bought the shop. Working hard, he later bought the Cleaners next door, then knocked out the wall between it and the Barber Shop, creating a Barber and Sporting Goods store. As is said, “this was only the beginning. “
Barbering was a profession Oscar practiced into his nineties. However, his ideas, skills, energy, and determination meant his life was full of other enterprises as well. He found real estate interesting and began to explore possibilities. In Seattle he bought, renewed, then sold, houses and even a large office building. This was long before “flipping” was a common jargon. Oscar also bought houses that needed to be moved from their properties. He then learned how to do the relocations before selling them again.
It was in Seattle that Oscar lost his beloved Ruth. Their son, Raymond, married soon and life became lonely for Oscar. In a couple years, he married Glenna Rolle, who had two adult children. The couple came together as parents of three and grandparents to three. Both working, they began to spend time on Whidbey Island for relaxation. They loved the beauty and the people of Whidbey. It soon became apparent that this was the place where they wanted to live.
Moving to Coupeville, they became realtors and joined the office of a friend in Clinton. He and they, partnered in the development of Honeymoon Lake. The couple then launched their own realty business. This dynamic duo enjoyed years of teamwork. Glenna as broker, Oscar as salesman, with his barbershop a part of the office. During this time, they created Northgate Terrace from the ground up, including a Community Center in a community park, with swimming pool. Their vision was a family-centered living, a value expressed in their daily living. One niece said, “Uncle Oscar was a wonderful father figure to so many in the family. “
The last business the Jenkins incorporated was G and O Mini Storage, north of Oak Harbor. Oscar, with the help of Sherri Frisch, continued running the business until he died.
Oscar Jenkins, father of three, grandfather to 6, great grandfather to 5, great-great grandfather of 5, brother, uncle, and friend of many, will be missed.
The family asks that remembrances be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 Michigan Ave, Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601.