Joan Yvonne Pinkerton Jenkins

Joan Yvonne Pinkerton Jenkins

September 9, 1939 ~ April 8, 2023

One of Mom’s favorite stories, when she was a kid growing up in West Texas, was how she and her cousins chipped away a little ice off the ice block in her grandma’s ice chest on a hot summer day. She would still giggle about how it irritated her grandma when recalling it 75 years later. As time and health took their toll… mom would always say… “We’ve lived a good life haven’t we!”

Yvonne Jenkins left this earthly world on the morning of April 8, 2023. Yvonne was born September 9, 1939, in Dallas, Texas. She was the only child of Ruel ‘Jethro’ Pinkerton and Elaine McLaurin Pinkerton.

The family moved to Olton, on the West Texas Plains when she was a toddler. Yvonne attended college at CU Boulder before transferring to Western State College in Gunnison. It was on a blind date that she would meet her future husband, Leo Jenkins. Apparently, it was a perfect date as the two were married on December 29, 1959. They would eventually end up in Cañon City where they would raise their four kids.

Yvonne would always joke that she went to college to get her MRS degree. Her intelligence and drive couldn’t keep her home. By the time her youngest was in school, she went right to work. She started bookkeeping at Fremont Bank. When the family moved to Indiana, she worked in cosmetics at a major department store. When the family later moved to Kansas, she sold Chevy trucks to farmers and ranchers. Yvonne went back to work in banking when the family moved back to Cañon City. She eventually advanced to President of the Cañon City branch of American Federal Savings.

Yvonne Jenkins is preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Leo; and her daughter, Priscilla.

She is survived by her daughter, Jeannette ‘JJ’ Potter of Denver; her son, Christopher Jenkins of Cañon City; son, Timothy (Kathy) Jenkins of Honolulu, Hawaii; grandchildren, Breann and Devin Potter, Savannah, Maddox, and Alexander Jenkins; granddaughter, Taylor Jenkins; and one great-granddaughter, Elliott.

Mom loved to go for drives as her mobility diminished. She would sing old tunes and one of her favorites was one she would sing with the Girl Scouts.

I’ve traveled up and I’ve traveled down, and Colorado is best around...

So, rah rah Colorado
Rah rah Colorado
Rah rah that good old state of mine.

Now I’ve traveled East and I’ve traveled West and Colorado is still the best.

So, rah rah Colorado
Rah rah Colorado
Rah rah that good old state of mine.

I’m Colorado born and Colorado bred
And when I die I’ll be Colorado dead.

So, rah rah Colorado
Rah rah Colorado
Rah rah that good old state of mine.

Though mom wasn’t born in Colorado, she always considered it home. She’s now gone home to Dad and Priscilla. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

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