Mary Jenkins

SEBRING - Funeral services will be held today at 7 p.m. at the Higgins-Reardon Funeral Home, Austintown Chapel, 4303 Mahoning Ave., Austintown, OH 44515, for Mary Jane Harrelson Jenkins, 91, who died Tuesday morning at Copeland Oaks in Sebring.

Mary Jane was born on Oct. 28, 1919, in Cherryville, N.C. She was one of a pair of twins born to William Claude Harrelson and Beatrice Dellinger.

She began her education at Black Rock School in rural Cherryville and graduated from high school in 1937. She attended the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, N.C., where she graduated in 1941 with an AB degree in Chemistry.

After graduation, she was accepted at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine, where she received her degree in Medical Technology. She was employed at Bowman Gray initially and then accepted a position with the Los Angeles County General Hospital, which at that time was considered the largest hospital in the world with more than 3000 patients. Several years later, she accepted a position with the George Washington School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. as a laboratory instructor in Clinical Microscopy.

Her claim to fame was working with a well known Hematologist and helped test one of the first batches of Vitamin B-12, which was used to treat an Anemia known as Pernicious Anemia. It was here that she met a sophomore medical student by the name of Robert Lawrence Jenkins Jr. and were married in 1948.

After his graduation, they came to Youngstown, where he served his internship and residency at The Youngstown Hospital Association. Dr. Jenkins began his practice in 1953 and practiced General Internal Medicine primarily in Austintown for over 35 years. She worked at the hospital until their first child, Robert, was born in 1950 and later worked as a Lab Technician in her husband's medical office.

In addition to her son, Mary Jane had two daughters, Linda born in 1954 and Carol born in 1957. Although she was a full-time mother, she was very active in her community. She was engaged with her children's school activities such as Band, PTA and Girl Scouts for 13 years. She was the Neighborhood Chairman for the largest neighborhood in the Lake to River Girl Scouts, where she organized many Girl Scout Troops.

Mary Jane was involved in many other community activities, such as Captain of the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. She was very active in church work at Trinity United Methodist, serving as President of the United Methodist Women, holding other offices and teaching Sunday school for a number of years. She was also active in the Women's Medical Auxiliary and was its official photographer for nine years.

In 1994, she was elected "Gem Of The Year" by that organization and was a member of the PEO Sisterhood which promotes Education for Women. Her most recent activity at Copeland Oaks was to make caps for women who lost their hair as part of cancer treatment. She and her family traveled extensively, visiting many countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Far East, Russia, India and Mainland China.

Mary Jane is survived by her husband, Dr. Robert L. Jenkins Jr.; a son, Robert L. Linda S. Jenkins III of Madison; two daughters, Linda Jean Jenkins of Delaware, Ohio and Carol Tom Navarre of Valparaiso, Ind.; and five grandchildren, Trevor and Brian Jenkins and Tom Ali, Stephen and Laura Navarre; and her brother, John Patsy Harrelson.

She was preceded in death by her parents; five sisters, including her twin, Sarah Jane Doering, Dorothy Radcliffe, Ann Floyd, Frances Powell and Willie Harrelson; and three brothers, Stacey, S.S. and Grimes Harrelson.

Friends may call today from 5 p.m. until the time of services at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, The American Heart Association and the PEO Scholarship Program.