Bruce S. Jenkins

Bruce S. Jenkins, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, Federal Judge, and a person genuinely interested in everyone and everything around him, passed away on November 7, 2023, at 96 years young. He was not ready to go. His mind was too active; his thoughts were too cogent; his ambitions were too great, until his body simply could no longer handle the rigors of his age.

As his mother Bessie recalled many years ago, Bruce was born in 1927 “in the month of May, on the 27th day, at ten minutes of ten at night. He was the largest baby we ever had at 11-¼ pounds.” His father Joseph remembered that Bruce as a young boy “grew rapidly and was quick to learn.” Bruce entered the world just ahead of the turbulent years of the Great Depression. Although his family struggled financially like everyone else, his growing up years were anything but depressive. Instead, they were full of love and support and promise. His sister Julia recalled one of Bruce’s “greatest accomplishments” in those early years. “Even as a young child,” she remembered, “he was a peacemaker in a family of eight (including a cousin) in which there was love but seldom peace.” Bruce graduated from East High School in 1944, entered the Navy at seventeen just as World War II began to wane, earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah in 1949, and a law degree there in 1952. And then in the fall of that same year, he did something truly remarkable. He married Margaret (Peggy) Watkins.

Amidst the practice of law, Bruce was appointed as a Democrat to fill a vacancy in the Utah State Senate. He was just 31-years old. He was elected to that position twice more and served one term as President of the Senate. In 1965, he was appointed as a federal bankruptcy referee, a position later changed to bankruptcy judge. Then in 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed him U.S. District Judge for the District of Utah. He served in this lifetime appointment for 45 years including nine years as Chief Judge, his last day at work being the day before he entered the hospital with his final illness. All told, he served 58 years on the federal bench. He could not have done any of this, of course, without a dedicated cadre of court staff, clerks, and fellow judges. He was always grateful and a little bit in awe of all his court helpers and colleagues. In addition to judging, Bruce served both the legal community and society at large with singular distinction, having delivered countless speeches, seminars, and sermons to captivated audiences both at home and abroad. He penned hundreds of judicial decisions and resolved countless problems for people, governments, and businesses that could not or would not solve those problems for themselves.

Bruce loved, loved, loved to read. Books lined family shelves, tabletops, storage boxes, storage units, and every other available space. He loved his family cabin; he loved to travel; he loved to learn. And he especially loved his family and created many opportunities to be surrounded by them. Bruce was devoted to Peggy and was a wonderful father to their children and spouses: Judy (and Michael), David (and Mona), Michael (and Janet), and Carol (and Reed). His ten grandchildren adored him and he them, and the promise of young life in his two great grandchildren brought special joy to his heart as he struggled through these last few months. Truly, Bruce was a husband, dad, grandpa, and great grandpa first, and everything else second. And the everything else, of course, was extraordinary. As a family our world will never be the same at his loss, but his legacy assures the world will forever be better because Bruce S. Jenkins was in it.

Friends may call and visit with the Jenkins family on Sunday, November 12, 2023 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary, 3401 S Highland Drive, Millcreek, Utah 84106. Funeral services will be held Monday, November 13, 2023 at 1:00 PM, 3401 S Highland Drive, Millcreek, Utah 84106. Interment will follow at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, 3401 Highland Dr, Millcreek, Utah 84106.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a loving contribution to a charity that means the world to you.