Leslie May Jenkins

Charlotte - Leslie May Blyth Jenkins died on Sunday, November 1st, All Saints Day, at Carolinas Medical Center, from complications of Congestive Heart Failure and a lifelong, graceful battle with Lung Disease.

Leslie is pre-deceased by her parents, Isabel Miller Blyth and Henry Blyth, and her brother Alistair. She is survived by her husband Edward Jenkins; son Iain Jenkins, his wife Emily, and grandchildren Colin and Anna; daughter Isabel Bader, her husband Sven, and grandchildren Aubrey, Niklas and Keegan; sisters-in-law Ethel Blyth and Margaret Hunter; nephews Douglas Blyth and Richard and Randy Hunter; niece Kati Ryan; and cousins May Elwood and Ronald Mackay. She is loved and remembered fondly by many close friends and family, both in Charlotte and in Scotland.

Leslie was born in Girvan, Scotland on June 27, 1939 and grew up in Ayrshire, on the west coast. She began work at age 15 in the office of a textile company, J&P Coats. Her early career included work at the De Havilland Aircraft Company and the Employers Association in London. Leslie returned to Scotland in 1966, when she took a secretary position at Edinburgh University. It was there that she met and married her husband, Edward, on March 27, 1969 at Greyfriars Kirk.

After moving to Charlotte in 1971, Leslie’s work didn’t slow, but focused on her community, church, and the schools that her children attended. Whether she was President of the PTA, Clerk of Session at Covenant Presbyterian, or President of Dilworth Community Ministries, she lived a life devoted to organizing and improving the world for those around her.

Leslie loved having her children and grandchildren close to her, spending time at the lake, and attending their school, music and sporting events. Her grandchildren will remember her as a source of constant love, support, and inspiration. She became a role model student for them when she returned to college herself, obtaining a BA in English from Queens University in 2006. Throughout her life she maintained a close connection with her family and friends in Scotland, and spent recent years travelling there and other interesting places around the world.

Leslie was a woman greatly loved and respected by all those who knew her. She will be dearly missed.

A memorial service will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church at 1000 E. Morehead Street, Charlotte, NC 28204 at 1pm on Monday, November 9th. Immediately following, family will receive friends in the adjoining Fellowship Hall.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation in Leslie’s memory to the charity of your choice.