Friends, there are no words that seem right. I wish I didn’t have to write this blog post. I wish I could call my grandpa on the phone again and hear his voice and teasing. I wish I could give him one more hug.
Unfortunately, his medical complications continued to compound over the last few weeks and he was not able to recover as we hoped. A few days ago, when he sensed he was nearing the end of his life, he asked that I share the news on his blog when the time came, and so I am.
He passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 24th, 2026, surrounded by loved ones.
I was not able to be there, sadly, but I did have a wonderful visit with him recently that I’ll always be grateful for. I’m also grateful for the opportunity I had to visit with my sweet grandma and grandpa in their beautiful home recently. We ate ice cream as we sat on the sofa and laughed and chatted happily, with no idea that would be the last time.
And last spring, we had a once-in-a-lifetime experience renting a small cabin in the mountains and visiting their old farm together with my husband and our five children, their great-grandchildren. I’d actually hoped that would become a tradition, especially since my husband and I are now farming that exact land, and that we’d make many more memories there. But I’m so grateful we have that memory—and all the memories there over the years as I was growing up. It’s a large part of his legacy.
In fact, he’ll be buried there, in the old cemetery across the road from his beloved—now our beloved—farm. I’m grateful I’ll be able to visit him there often. Mostly, I’m grateful that he’s resting in the arms of his beloved Jesus now.
Soon, I want to spend some time creating a full tribute to his life here on this blog, with plenty of photos, of course. But for now, I’m sharing the details of his memorial services for those who would like to attend.
A visitation will be held the evening of Friday, October 30th from 4-8 p.m. at Wilson Funeral Home in Chickamauga, Georgia.
A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday morning, October 31st, at 11:00 a.m. at the Elizabeth Lee Methodist Church on Cove Road, followed by a graveside service at the Old Antioch Cemetery on Andrews Lane.
Please share this with anyone you know who knew him and might like to be there. You can also view the obituary for David Byrl Jenkins from Wilson Funeral Home here.
About the photo:
In my last post, I shared one of my favorite photos, but this is one of my grandpa’s favorites. He always put a large print of this photo over his mantle every fall. It’s the view of the pond from their home on their farm where they lived for over 35 years. It’s called “Pond and Autumn Leaves.” I was just there and the colors are exactly like this right now—still slightly green in spots but definitely changing—so it feels like a fitting tribute for this moment.
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