Happy 96th Birthday Grandma Jenkins!

While it's always fun to come to Half Moon Bay, this trip had a VERY special purpose!! Spencer's Grandma turned 96 years old on Sunday!! Way to go Grandma!! Spencer and Grandma are very close-they talk on the phone every week without fail. For a very remarkable women who has lived a remarkable life, I asked Spencer to help me write a little tribute about Grandma Jenkins, aka "GG" to the great grandkids. Norma Bailey (Jenkins) was born June 22, 1912 in Revere, Massachusetts. Being a New Englander, she is strong, resolute, opinionated, and of course has that "Yankee Pride." She has never been afraid to "break the mold!" Not many women can say they worked in a shipyard as a welder of submarines during WWII! But, Grandma Jenkins can! She is a pioneer. On a train passing through Salt Lake City, Grandma struck up a conversation with a Mormon missionary just leaving on his mission. That initial conversation led to her being the first person baptized into the LDS church in Kittery, Maine. She eventually made her way to Utah, met and married a Wyoming cowboy (Spencer's Grandpa Howard Jenkins, "Papa") and the rest they say is history. Her husband, two children, five grandchildren, and soon to be nine great-grandchildren will all be eternally grateful for Grandma's pioneering spirit!! Grandma is always evolving. Grandma is a talented painter, pianist, and organist. But, after losing almost all of her eyesight, she did not cast aside her artistic ambitions, but reinvented herself-she taught herself to use the pottery wheel, learned to play the drums (and really knows how to throw down a beat!), took up writing and published three books, and that's not including her numerous short works of personal memoirs, poetry, and short narratives/memos on whatever is on her mind. Only a few years ago, she got her first computer and learned to use the word processor and email. She truly is an amazing person. Even with her poor eyesight, she has not given up her love of reading. With books on tape, she "reads" book after book after book. She is Spencer's most trusted book critic. Every Sunday, Spencer calls Grandma and always makes sure to ask her what she's reading and what books she recommends. Who needs the NY Times Book Review when you have Grandma!! So, here's to a remarkable woman!! Grandma, Happy 96th birthday. We love you!




What a GREAT birthday celebration!!




Four Generations!