Robert and Patty at a Michael J. Fox Foundation fundraiser.
Robert Jenkins (born 3/29/1948) passed away on Nov. 2, 2020 after a courageous 14- year battle with Parkinson’s Disease. The beloved husband, brother, uncle, great uncle, and larger than life co-worker and friend to many from the east coast to the west coast, has completed his life’s journey and is mercifully free after his long battle. His earthly body is finally peacefully still and his incredible presence and soul is whole now and delighting all who preceded him to the next life.
Robert was born in Massachusetts living in Boston until he moved to California in 1982. He loved working as a salesman and was “born to sell”!! He met and married Patty in 1986. In 2006 he began to manifest what they later learned were early symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, but he was not professionally diagnosed until June of 2008. By then not only had his beautiful handwriting changed to much smaller almost illegible scribbles but his freezing gate was worse.
Even as he declined over the years, he fought to stay active to the very end playing golf with Patty. Robert thoroughly enjoyed the special friendships he developed with the many wonderful people who shared the challenges of this disease that he would meet at his Parkinson’s exercise classes, many special Parkinson’s events to help raise awareness of and funding for research, and at monthly support group meetings he attended since 2008. He was also a good sport and supportive partner helping Patty to coordinate the Ventura Parkinson’s Disease Support meetings the past six years.
Even in death his body will help the scientific research into the cause of Parkinson’s for years to come as his wish to have his brain donated to UCLA has been fulfilled. Your loving tributes in honor of his memory thru the Michael J. Fox Foundation will also have an enormous impact in promoting many hard working researchers whose promising projects and treatments might not otherwise make it to the tens of millions of people world wide who suffer with Parkinson’s Disease.
To all who visit his tribute page in honor of Robert, you mean the world to Patty who stated “Thank you for your loving support over the many years as we all fought this disease together. Please know also that you all meant so very much to Robert in this life and will in the next.”
There is a tribute page to Robert on the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research web site that has more of Robert’s story and an opportunity to make a donation in lieu of flowers or cards as a memorial for him that will support the efforts of the MJFF to help researchers find a cause and a cure for Parkinson’s Disease. Go to https://tribute.michaeljfox.org and click on search pages then type in Jenkins Robert.
