Mary Jenkins

(From Clark Funeral Home)

June 16, 1946 - April 6, 2026

Mary Kathryn (O'Dell) Jenkins was born on June 16, 1946, in Green Forest, Arkansas, to Delbert and Georgia (Norris) O'Dell. They lived on a small, 88-acre farm with cows, pigs, chickens, guineas, rabbits, a variety of pheasants, and a horse. They always had a large garden and canned everything that was cannable. This is where Mary learned the slowly disappearing ethic called work.

Mary and her sister Becky had to learn to be temporary mamas on many occasions, as their mother had “T-B.” That was during the time when you had to go to a sanitorium for extended periods. They learned something called “hard work” in her absence.

Their father set the prime example for work ethics. He had contracted typhoid fever at the age of 13 and had a leg and a finger amputated, yet he never let that keep him from the hard work of running the farm for over 60 years.

Mary attended the School of the Ozarks beginning in 1964 and graduated in 1969 with a degree in elementary education. She taught in the Neosho School District and retired in 2001. She also obtained a degree in husbandry.

She met and married Dwane Jenkins and put that degree to a full-time job. She raised two sons, Scott and Brett, and coached Dwane along on a 57-year journey. What a wonderful journey it was!

Her granddaughters—Nation, Jael, Leah, and Ruth—became the apple of her eye, along with Scott and Sasha and Brett and Rebekah. Time with all of them did not last long enough, but she was so thankful for the time she was allotted to be with them.

Mary loved kids, flowers, travel, and watching birds at the feeder.

For over 50 years, she spent Christmas on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona to take Christmas to them. What a joy those trips were to her. She also loved the mission work she was involved with in Haiti and helping supply needs for many orphans there. Any time she saw a child in need, she wanted to help in some way.

However, Mary’s greatest love was her relationship with Jesus Christ. God blessed them with the gift of helps—helping children learn, helping their Navajo friends for over 60 years, and the Haitian work for over 50 years.

God surely needed another angel.

A visitation will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., with the funeral service beginning at 11:00 a.m., both held at Bible Holiness Assembly of God in Neosho, Missouri.

Interment will follow at the Neosho IOOF Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Bible Holiness Assembly of God Missions Fund, c/o Clark Funeral Home, P.O. Box 66, Neosho, MO 64850.