Bertha Mae Jenkins

Bertha Mae Jenkins was born on September 21, 1934, in Logan County, Kansas, to Marion Granville Jenkins and Agnes Sun-Behind-a-Cloud. The oldest of four children, she is survived by her sister Mary Ann and remembered fondly by four nieces, nine nephews, 26 grand-nieces, and thirty grand-nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers Marion Louis and Robert Granville.

From an early age, Bertha helped her mother care for her younger siblings while remaining deeply focused on her studies. She graduated from Denver’s Manual Training High School and went on to earn a BA from the University of Denver in 1956 and an MA in 1965, with concentrations in Elementary Education, Zoology, and Child Psychology. She participated in the marching band and ice skating at DU, later continuing her education at Michigan State University in Minority Education and at Metro State University in Early Childhood Education. She dedicated thirty years to teaching, working with students ranging from preschoolers to college level. She set aside her own plans to return from Michigan to Colorado to help her parents raise her brother Marion Louis’s children.

Bertha’s faith was a cornerstone of her life as a longtime member of the Happy Church and the Church of God in Christ. A successful minority businesswoman, she owned three day nursery schools, worked as a real estate broker, operated a Shaklee business, and served as an investment partner in Mr. Peat, Inc., which imported farm equipment from China. She generously volunteered at the 9 News Health Fair and Children’s Hospital while always making time to help care for her many nieces’ and nephews’ young children.