Obituary of Charles B. Jenkins

Charles "Chip" B. Jenkins, age 72, formerly of Colton, New York, passed away on Thursday, July 30, in Alpine, New York. Born October 5, 1947, in Batavia, New York, and raised in Westport, Connecticut, he graduated from St. Lawrence University and after that made the North Country his home. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Anne M. Sibley (Alpine, NY), and three children: Noah (Chicago, IL), Andrew (Ithaca, NY) and Clare (Ames, IA), as well as his brother, William H. Jenkins (Tempe AZ), three nieces and one nephew. He was predeceased by his parents, Dorothy Starr Jenkins and William H. Jenkins. Chip is remembered for his quirky personality, sense of adventure, and generosity. He valued his friends and cared deeply about family. He was a rebellious youth, frequently pushing boundaries and even being expelled from high school. Despite constantly challenging authority, he had at his core strong ethics and values. Chip loved books and was a true intellectual. He had varied interests and over the years pursued each with an obsessive passion, including bicycling, canoeing, raising chickens, upland game hunting, and hiking. In the last 20 years he found a home at Trinity Episcopal Church in Potsdam, New York, and appreciated the embrace of that "family." He worked for many years at the St. Lawrence University Bookstore, and then as Director of the North Country Research Center at St. Lawrence. He pursued a Masters in Environmental Science at Bard College. He left his career to become a stay-at-home father, working part-time in textbook sales for John Wiley & Sons and as a financial planner. He loved being "Dad" and reveled in having outdoor adventures with his children. Unfortunately, in the last decade Chip slowly faded away as he was affected by frontotemporal dementia. In his later years, when he could no longer hold a conversation, read, or pursue his earlier hobbies, he still enjoyed getting out in the woods for a hike, and especially going on daily walks with his dog, Booker. It was while he was on one of those daily walks that he passed away suddenly. A private funeral was held, due to social distancing requirements of the pandemic; burial will take place at a future date. Donations in Chip's memory can be made to Trinity Episcopal Church, 8 Maple Street, Potsdam, NY 13676 or the Adirondack Mountain Club, 814 Goggins Road, Lake George, NY 12845.