Thomas M. Jenkins

Thomas M. Jenkins was born on April 25, 1927 in Westfield, New Jersey and passed away July 31, 2021 in Centennial, CO. He is survived by his children: Martin and Richard; son in law, Alex; daughters-in-law, Kathy and Katie; and, grandchildren: Matthew, Joseph, Katie, Melanie, Thomas, Ellie, Isabelle and Dylan. He was preceded in death by his wife Hildrud, daughter Cindy, son Jeffrey, and granddaughter Kelsey.

Tom went to Westfield High School where he gained his appreciation for football. He served in the Navy during World War II and graduated from Susquehanna University in 1950. He earned his Master of Arts from the University of Denver in 1967. He pursued a number of careers spanning insurance sales, high school English teacher, college English teacher, co-founder of the community college of Denver, marketing executive, and clothing salesperson.

He married his true love Hildrud on December 21,1950, whom he referred to “his angel on earth.” They moved to Colorado in 1952 and he fell in love with the Colorado mountains and blue skies. He was a mountaineer, amateur photographer, freelance author, devoted husband, and dedicated father. Through his adventures: he was father of 4, grandfather to 9, great grandfather to 2, wrote over 500 published articles, climbed over 100 peaks and never stopped his quest to learn.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, August 12, 2021 at 11:00 A.M. at Olinger Chapel Hill Mortuary, 6601 S. Colorado Blvd., Centennial, CO 80121.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in the name of Thomas M. Jenkins to the American Alpine Club. To donate: Please go to the link https://membership.americanalpineclub.org/donate and enter Tom Jenkins in the Comment field.