William "Bill" James Jenkins

In loving memory of Bill, Dad, Papa.

William Jenkins passed away on September 8, 2025 after many valiant efforts to overcome medical issues.

He was born on November 3, 1942 in Anderson, Indiana to William Alfred Jenkins and Evelyn Ruth James, and later moved to Broad Ripple during his teenage years. He grew up with two brothers, David and Phillip.

He met Karen Stack, and as he told us, from the minute he met her, he thought she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. They got married in January, 1967 and remained married for almost 43 years until her passing in 2009. He missed her more than words can describe, and said “she was a part of me”. Together they had two daughters, Cindy Jenkins (John Zeigler) and Jennifer Jenkins-Ortiz (Michael Ortiz), and five granddaughters, Caroline and Lindsey Zeigler and Emma, Sophia, and Libby Ortiz. Their home was one of unconditional love. There was nothing that he would not do for his family, and always said he would be happy if we could all live together. Once retired, he told us he did not want to go to Florida for the winter, saying he could not be gone any longer than two weeks because he would miss his daughters and granddaughters too much. Nothing brought him more joy than spending time with his granddaughters, and he was so proud of them.

He raised his family by giving us advice like " Don’t be afraid to do what’s right, and don’t be afraid to say what’s right.”, “Your word is your honor.”, and “You have to do what you think is right, and if the other person doesn’t, that’s on them”. He told us to always try to see things from the other person’s perspective to be more empathetic, and to always persevere, which he did, time and time again.

Bill had a great sense of humor as well. Whether it was his quick wit, playing jokes on people, or buying people his signature “Billy gifts”, which could be anything that reminded him of that person, he was always entertaining.

Bill was an avid reader and loved history. He loved all kinds of music and played the drums. One of the things Bill loved to do was to travel. He and Karen especially loved going on cruises with their friends and family. He loved racing cars from the time he could drive, and was known as “Corvette Bill” by some of his friends.

Bill was a fiercely loyal person to his friends and family, and had many friends that he had had since he was a teenager, some of whom he will be reunited with now. He loved being Uncle Bill to his nieces and nephews, and was very close to his brothers. He made friends wherever he went, whether it was restaurants, a car dealership, a store, etc. He just had a genuine love for people.

Bill was someone who despite not always having much, was generous with others. His mother once said he was one of the two most generous people she had ever known (the other being his dad). He always wanted to make sure everyone was all right whether it was family, friends, or strangers and was always helping people he did not even know.

Bill worked in Human Resources, which was a perfect fit for him and his love of being fair, kind, and helping people. He had worked at Stoops/Burlington Northern, Wal-Mart, Valcom, and retired from the Indiana Masonic Home.

Bill is survived by his daughters, granddaughters, sons-in-law, brother David Jenkins, brother and sisters-in-law, Jerry and Pat Stack, and Brenda Stack, along with many nieces, nephews, and friends.

We will forever be grateful for his unconditional love, support, and how our lives were made infinitely better for having him in it. We will love and miss him always.

To honor Bill’s life, a visitation will be held at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens (Flanner Buchanan), 9700 Allisonville Road, Indianapolis, IN on September 20, 2025, from noon until 2:00, with a funeral service immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wheeler Mission at www.wheelermission.org.