Josie Marie Jenkins Obituary (1937 - 2019)

Josie Marie (Coffman) Jenkins, age 82, passed away on Wednesday, December 4, 2019, at her home in Meridian, Idaho. She was surrounded by members of her family at the time of her passing. Josie was born May 16, 1937 in Thayne, Lincoln, Wyoming to Kenneth Gerald and Leta Elizabeth (Wolfley) Coffman. She was the second child, with her older sister Loudema (Barnes) and younger sister Emma (Skinner). Josie was the token "boy" in a family of three girls. Her family made its living by dairy farming, therefore Josie would milk the cows morning and night. She also drove the tractors to disk the fields and drove teams of horses on the hay stacker. This hard work resulted in Josie being strong and athletic. When Josie wasn't working on the farm, she learned to play the piano and was the Sunday School chorister at church. She went to elementary school in Thayne. After that, she attended Star Valley High School, where she excelled at short-hand and typing, skills that served her well later in life. She continued her musical talent by playing the alto saxophone in the high-school marching and concert bands. It was in high-school that she first met her husband, Ross E. Jenkins. They dated and eventually married on August 25, 1955 in the Idaho Falls Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Over time, her family grew and included four children whom she loved very much. She was an amazing and talented artist. She discovered her talent in art while being a busy mother and balanced that responsibility with art classes. She painted using many mediums, but really excelled at tole & decorative art painting. She became known as the "Bunny" lady, as she loved to paint bunny rabbits. She taught her love of art and inspired many other artists in their craft. Josie also was a dedicated follower of the Savior, Jesus Christ. She fulfilled many callings within the Church as Young Women President, Dance Festival instructor, Road Shows director, Relief Society Presidencies and especially served in the Relief Society homemaking area contributing her intellect, time, and talents. She was a stake missionary and later in life served many years as a Temple worker and was heavily involved in Genealogical Indexing and Record Arbitration service efforts. She is survived by her beloved husband of 64 years, Ross E. Jenkins; children: Alan C. Jenkins, Cindi Sue Holt, Sandra Lee Fisher, Jeffrey R. Jenkins; 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren; her sisters Loudema and Emma. Services will be held at 11AM, Friday, December 13, 2019 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 1950 South Locust Grove Road in Meridian, Idaho, with a viewing at the Church from 10 to 10:45 AM prior to the services. A burial services will be held at 2:30PM that same day at the Meridian Cemetery. Arrangements by Zeyer Funeral Chapel, Nampa. 208-467-7300