Benjamin T. Jenkins
Benjamin T. Jenkins, 27, passed away too soon on July 7, 2021. He was the cherished only child of Tony and Angie Jenkins.
Ben was born June 3, 1994, and baptized at St. Peter Catholic Church, in Kirkwood Mo.
He will be lovingly remembered by his grandmothers Dee McCart and Phyllis Jenkins; his aunt Jennifer Staten (Joe); Cousins Ryan, Luke, and Emily Staten; Godparents Chris and Lori Winters, and by Sophie Allen and Charlie Jaschek who are two of Ben’s most loved and cherished friends.
Ben was preceded in death by his Grandfathers Allen C. Jenkins and Preston T. Roberts.
Ben grew up in Kirkwood and graduated from Kirkwood High School in 2012. He earned his B.S. degree in Corporate Communications from Southeast Missouri State University, graduating with honors. He enjoyed being part of the Kirkwood Hockey community for many years. Ben was a member of the First Presbyterian Church youth group and participated in their work camps over several summers. His most memorable experience was building a home with Habitat for Humanity for a young family in Colorado. Helping others always brought Ben a lot of joy.
Ben had a great love for the outdoors, plants, gardening, cooking, sampling new restaurants, unique foods, and the St. Louis Blues. He enjoyed all types of music and attending performances. Few things in life gave Ben more joy than playing and hanging with his rescue dog Bando. He enjoyed his time working at Johnny Mac’s Sporting Goods and The Alpine Shop during his school years. Most recently Ben was employed by Wunderman Thompson as project manager. Ben was a caring, charismatic, and fun-loving person who never met a stranger. Always there to cheer on, support, and celebrate the accomplishments of family and friends. Ben was a source of positivity for others, even when he himself was struggling. His well-rounded intelligence and wit could always bring a smile. His big 6’4” hugs were so very special.
A private mass is being held for the family.
A Celebration of Ben’s Life will be held Friday, October 15th from 4-8 PM at the Lion’s Pavilion at Kirkwood Park. For additional details see the Webster Kirkwood Times in early October.Donations:
In lieu of flowers please consider contributions to the: The Wet Nose Project: wetnoseproject.org/donations and Habitat for Humanity: habitatstl.org
A loving remembrance of a most loved
and cherished nephew and cousin.
We love you Tony and Angie, you are in our prayers. We have always been so proud to be Ben’s Aunt and Uncle.
Love you baby boy, forever.
A beautiful tribute to my grandson
who will live in my heart forever
Supporting you always Tony and Angie
Love you,
Phyllis Jenkins, Proud Mom and Grandma
Ben was such an amazing, supportive, loving friend. I am so lucky I got spend my formative years with him, and even luckier that we remained close as we grew up. He helped make the lives of those around him so much brighter, and I’ll remember him forever. So much love to Tony and Angie, and to all the friends and family who loved and supported my incredible friend. In my heart, always. Thank you for this beautiful remembrance. -Charlie
I have nothing but happy & fond memories growing up with Ben. He was always someone I could turn to and he always found a way to put a smile on my face. Anybody he ever met instantly felt a connection with him as he made everyone feel so loved and so important. I am beyond lucky to have been able to call myself Ben’s friend. He made a forever impact on so many lives and he will be remembered forever. My thoughts, prayers and love go out to Tony, Angie and all that loved Ben. -Christine Wolff (Hakenjos)
I was lucky to have Ben in several of my classes at Kirkwood High School. He was always smiling, and willing to help others. When Ben was around there was always laughter. Much love to his family, he will be missed.
Tony/Angie
I just saw this devastating news. We are all so saddened by your loss. We pray that God will somehow give you comfort in this time of mourning.
Darryl Donna Season & Lacey
Great kid! He would sneak up behind me walking my dog and scare me. He thought that was so funny. We love you, Ben.
Betsy Buttice
I had the privilege of meeting Ben in our middle school years at Nipher. We originally met through church, and I looked up to Ben (both figuratively and literally) as he was significantly taller than me, and a grade older than I was. We also played hockey together for a handful of years for KYHA, and then our JV squad in high school. The last memory I have of Ben was around Christmas time of 2019 when we ran into each other at Steinburg Rink. We had a great conversation because Ben had a unique ability to pick up right where we left off even though we hadn’t really seen each other since high school. Ben, you will be missed, and my thoughts and prayers are with your family.
So so sad for your loss. I know you both loved Ben so much and he will be forever in your hearts. Words cannot express how sad this is. We love you both. Please if you need anything please do not hesitate to call.
Michelle and Craig Danforth.
Tony and Angie,
I am so sorry for your loss. I never had the opportunity to meet Ben, but knowing Tony and the pranks we pulled in high school (yep along time ago) I can only imagine how talented and bright a young man he was. You both should be proud. I pray that God holds all of you in the palm of his hand. God bless, until you meet again.
Ben has always been one of my favorites????. That smile! Yes, Ben struggled, but he was always so open and positive. He let me ask those mom questions and hardly rolled his eyes. What a great friend to my son and to everyone he knew. Seriously, was there anyone that didn’t love Ben? One of my fondest memories is when Ben was in high school and went to my son’s soccer game. He sat and talked to my father the whole game. My dad was in heaven. He often asked about that big guy with the smile that talked to him. ???? You will be missed.
I will forever be grateful that Ben was, and is, my one and only cousin. As kids I remember thinking how funny, witty, and cool he was and would tried copying his every move, sometimes literally.???? But if I ever annoyed him, he never showed it. He was never judgemental, and showed kindness and respect to everyone. When he started telling a story he could hold the attention of an entire room, and make everyone laugh their hardest. Not many people had a presence and energy like Ben’s, which is irreplaceable and will be missed beyond words. Love you, Ben, my favorite cousin ❤ To my Aunt and Uncle, I love and support you always❤
Ben was selfless, kind, and had the most contagious smile. I met Ben through Senior High Fellowship in high school and we grew into close friends spending our summers on Work Camp. He had a huge heart and had a gentle way of taking care of others. He could make anyone laugh with his goofiness and was a truly loyal friend. Sending all my love to his family. He is so missed.
Alex Yahl (Kuhn)
Tony and Angie –
I am so sorry to hear about Ben passing. Growing up, he and Matt were good friends and teammates. I always enjoyed seeing Ben. Prayers to you as you grieve your loss.
Ben was such a loving, loyal friend. We were very close in our formative adolescent years – spending a lot of time at Kirkwood parks, studying at Kaldis coffee, hanging out at our parents’ houses. He always put a smile to my (and anyone’s) face with his goofy, fun-loving personality. He was an incredible friend – always listening and offering sympathy when you needed it, but also not afraid to give the tough love when you needed that, too. I am very thankful for the memories made with Ben. We are all so saddened by this loss. Sending all the love & prayers to his family and friends. Thank you for being you, Ben – you were such a special soul!
Tony & Angie, I am so very sorry for your loss. Nobody should ever know the pain of losing a child.
My thoughts and prayers are with you both and may you find peace in all the great memories your family made together.
Hugs
Dee
Tony and Angie, I just learned about Ben’s passing. I am truly heartbroken for you and your family. I always remember how proud you were of Ben and the relationship you had with him was just so special. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Angus
I remember Ben as a young boy playing street hockey with his dad in their driveway. He was always a friendly young man. He had great parents who loved and supported him.
My deepest sympathy goes to Tony, Angie and Phyllis.
Tony and Angie,
I just heard about the passing of Ben. Words cannot express my sorrow and sympathy over your loss.
Jeff
Ben – your Mom and Dad just hosted a beautiful Celebration of Life in your honor. You were so loved and it showed! Hope you and my girl are hanging out in Heaven…playing with dogs and riding some beautiful horses. ????????????????????????
Just heard of Ben’s passing after trying to reach out to catch up. One of the first true life long friends I made when I went to UMKC freshman year. Countless memories made with him through that time period. Taking the train back home for weekends/breaks, meeting up to get our classwork and homework done last min, hanging out every day after class and on the weekends to let loose in KC. Even after the years we spent apart after freshman year we still stayed in contact with each other and meet up whenever we both were in St. Louis. I am deeply saddened to hear of this loss, he was an extremely kind hearted and loving person; an inspiration to me and a spark of happiness and joy whenever we would hang out and converse. My condolences to the family and his friends, he had a truly genuine lasting impact on me; at a loss for words. You will truly be missed, brother.