He was born Aug. 6, 1944, in Warren, to Raymond and Mary Francis Jenkins.
He graduated from Warren G. Harding (Senior) High School in 1962. He worked as a young man in the steel industry during the 1960s and later worked as a construction laborer.
Wendall was a devoted husband and father. He was married to his one true love, Sandra Lyons, for 59 years and she survives.
He is also survived by his children, William (Troy) Brady of Columbus, Derrick Jenkins of Lawton, Okla., Monica Jenkins of Washington, D.C. and Cassandra Lewis of Fountain, Colo.; his nine grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren, whom he loved dearly; his sister, Barbara Jean Stroud of Warren; and an assortment of nieces, nephews and cousins.
(RNS) There are no signs in front yards hailing the men and women who sometimes wryly call themselves “last responders.”
But for funeral directors across the country, like medical professionals, this has been a year like no other.
“There is no way to explain it,” said Stephen Kemp, 61, director of Kemp Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Southfield, Michigan, which borders Detroit. “I will never forget it as long as I live. In terms of sheer volume, it was surreal.”
In a normal month, Kemp estimates, he handles arrangements for about 30 bodies. In April, said Kemp, he did 152, mostly African American men. Now, even as his monthly toll has settled to about 40, he’s seeing people with comorbid conditions succumbing to the long-term effects of the disease.