Luther Graham Jenkins
June 30, 1935 ~ March 2, 2023 (age 87) 87 Years Old
Luther Jenkins Obituary
On June 30, 1935, in Cades, South Carolina, Luther Graham Jenkins, affectionately known as
“Cooda” and the “Old Man”, entered this world. After 87 long years of life, he was called into eternal rest
and received his golden wings on March 2, 2023, and went home to be with the Lord at McCleod
Hospital in Florence, SC.
During his early childhood and teenage years, Luther worked various odd jobs and warehouse
work in South Carolina, acquiring a strong sense of work ethic and labor skills. He later moved to
Englewood, NJ to continue gaining those skills. While living in Englewood, in 1972, Luther met his late
wife, Gladys Jenkins, and he later asked for her hand in marriage in 1978. They both continued living in
New Jersey for about 10 more years, working and raising their four children at the time (André, Neet,
Bernard, and Neil), before deciding to relocate back home to Lake City, SC.
In 1992, Luther and Gladys began a group daycare service from their home called “Jenkins’
Group Daycare”, where they kept an abundance of children, ranging from babies to teenagers, and
provided a safe, secure, and healthy environment to help them develop the skills needed for success in
school as well as social skills to help them outside of school. In the middle of running their daycare, in
1996, they had their daughter, India Jenkins, and continued to successfully operate and maintain the
daycare for about 11 more years before finally shutting it down in 2007.
Despite the often hard and harsh difficulties that life offered him, Luther strongly believed in
possessing a strong work ethic and pursuing an education and encouraged each one of his children to do
so. Luther also possessed an incredible amount of wisdom and knowledge that he was constantly sharing
with his family and others. He was soft-spoken, passionate about various topics (especially politics and
the economy), protective, and a loving patriarch in his household, loving nothing more than spending
time with his family and children and encouraging and nurturing them throughout their life.
Luther is survived by his three children, Neil Jenkins (Florence, SC), Bernard Jenkins Jr. (Lake
City, SC), and India Jenkins (Lake City, SC), his two stepchildren, André Brayboy (Orange, NJ) and
Dinita "Neet" Caldwell-Smith (Thomas) (Paterson, NJ), and his three grandchildren, Aubrey Jenkins,
Ayla Jenkins, and Jace Jenkins. Luther was preceded in death by his brother, Leroy Graham, and his
wife, Gladys Albertha Jenkins.
The family would like to express their thankfulness to all of those that showed love and support
during this time of grief. Luther was an amazing man who possessed great strength during difficult times,
and he will truly be missed.
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