Deceased Name: Fonda Hankins Jenkins

may 3, 1935 ~ January 4, 2018

© Holmes CCoffey Murray Funeral Home

Submitted by: TD

 

Fonda Jenkins, the second of two girls, was born in May 3, 1935, to Beryl and Irving Hankins. Fonda was raised near Ripley, Oklahoma, a small town near Stillwater. She attended the Ripley School District, where she enjoyed playing basketball and would graduate high school. Her father worked as a custodian at Oklahoma State University and enjoyed fishing. He passed in his early 60’s. Her mother was a dental assistant and home maker. They also lived on a small farm. Both her parents’ families lived in and around the Ripley/Stillwater area.

Fonda met and married Sidney Jenkins in June of 1959. At that time, Fonda was working at Oklahoma State University and Sidney was in graduate school. Sidney and Fonda then moved to Stephenville, Texas, where she worked for the Highway Department and Sidney worked for the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. While in Stephenville, Fonda and Sidney started their family with the birth of their first son, Nathan, in July 1962.

Fonda’s older sister, Reba, also married a graduate of Oklahoma State University, Joe McKnight. They lived in the city of Benbrook, located in north Texas area during the 1960s. Reba and Joe McKnight also had a daughter and son. While both families lived in the north Texas area, the family’s spent a lot of weekends and holidays together. In the late 1960s, they moved to Virginia where they lived during their working years.

In 1965, Fonda and Sidney moved to Bryan, Texas, where Sidney continued to work for the Texas Agriculture Extension Service. Their second son, Clinton was born in March of 1966 in Bryan, Texas.

In 1971 the family returned to Oklahoma, making their permanent home in Durant. Sidney joined Southeastern Oklahoma University (SOSU) as a Professor of Economics and later was department chair. Sidney grew up near Caddo, Oklahoma, on a family ranch and soon after returning to Durant, Sidney and Fonda purchased ranching land and started raising beef cattle near Caddo and later near Nida, Oklahoma. The family built a home in Durant near Northwest Heights Elementary School in 1973 where Sidney continues to live.

Fonda worked several places in Durant including King’s Daughters and Sons Nursing Home, First National Bank, and the SOSU Business Office until she retired in 1985. Sidney taught at SOSU until he retired in 1997. The family has continued their Ranching activities. A fond memory is when Fonda would cook and pack a lunch of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and sweet tea to take to the ranch for the family to enjoy.

Nathan and his wife, Kala, established a home in Durant. After graduating from Durant Hight School, Nathan established his contracting company, where he works in light construction and painting. Kala, a graduate of the Blue School District, has worked in childcare, homemaking, and caring for her family. Nathan and Kala have two children, Fonda’s grandchildren - Amanda and Eric. Eric resides in Durant. Amanda and her husband, Tim Haney, reside in Bells, Texas with their children, Fonda’s four great-grandchildren - Aiden, Michaela, Avery and Harper.

Clinton and his wife, DeAnna, established a home in Grand Prairie, Texas. Clinton graduated from Durant High School, SOSU, and the University of North Texas. Clinton, a Certified Public Account, has worked in the Dallas area as a Certified Internal Auditor since graduation. DeAnna is also a graduate of Durant High School, SOSU, the University of Connecticut, and most recently attained her Doctoral Degree in Education from Dallas Baptist University. DeAnna, having retired from her twenty-seven-year career in public education, is now a Professor of Education at Dallas Baptist University.

Fonda is a member of the First Baptist Church in Durant. When she was younger, she enjoyed cooking, family gatherings, playing dominoes, spending time with her grandchildren, and later seeing her great grandchildren. Fonda’s favorite food items are strawberry ice cream and Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses.

Family hour will be from 6-7:00 PM on Monday January 8th at the Holmes~Coffey~Murray Funeral Home in Durant, Oklahoma. A chapel service will be at 10:00 AM Tuesday January 9th at the Holmes~Coffey~Murray Chapel in Durant with Pastor Jesse West officiating. Burial will Follow at the Gethsemane Cemetery in Caddo, Oklahoma. Services are under the direction of Holmes~Coffey~Murray Funeral Home.