Brian Jenkins

Brian Wayne Jenkins

Brian Wayne Jenkins was born on December 18, 1934, to loving parents Kathleen and Chrystie Jenkins in Calgary, Alberta. His sister, Lynette, was born three years later, completing their family. He liked to joke that, on his first Christmas, he was a "week-old man" and, later in life, a "weak old man." As a Christmas baby, he always liked the colours red and green, which were on full display with the lights around his window, his green house, and his red car.

Brian was a precocious, inquisitive child, which led to a few escapades during his toddler years. He had a gift for complex language at a very young age. Brian attended McDougall School in Calgary and was actively involved in sports, including softball, football, and track, throughout his elementary and teen years. Like his father, he had blue eyes and grew to exactly 5 feet 8 ¾ inches tall!

Brian attended the University of Alberta and earned a Bachelor of Science degree. Although he studied math and science, he soon realized his true love was English Literature and shifted his focus in later courses. After university, he spent a year in Baker Lake, Nunavut, conducting research on the Northern Lights.

Brian accepted the Lord as his Saviour as a teenager. Although he enjoyed his time up North, he realized his true calling was to be a pastor in Christian ministry. He attended Berkeley Divinity School in California and earned a Bachelor of Divinity. There, he met his future wife, Pat, when they were both seated at the December birthday table. She sat across from him, giggled, and said, "I'm older than you!" It was a 26-hour age difference. It was love at first sight for shy Brian, and within six months, they were married. As his father-in-law said, God looked over the whole earth when Pat was born and couldn't find anyone good enough for her, so the next day the Lord brought Brian into the world. They started a family, having two daughters, Kathy and Karen, and moved to Bowness, Alberta, where he pastored before moving to Birtle, Manitoba, to serve at the Birtle and Shoal Lake churches.

After Brian experienced severe pastoral burnout and clinical depression in 1968, the family moved to Brandon, Manitoba, where Pat began working as an occupational therapist. Brian completed the Education One course at Brandon University and had successful, enjoyable experiences as a substitute teacher in elementary and secondary schools. He also dubbed himself “the house husband” and was instrumental in running the household while supporting his wife’s career. In 1984, Brian received dramatic healing from the Lord for his depression. He was overjoyed to have a new lease on life at age 50!

Brian was always an animal lover, and the family enjoyed his stories about Jack and Daisy, his boyhood Springer Spaniels. He was always a favourite with the family pets, particularly his cat, Amie, whom he called “an angel in a catsuit,” as the Lord used her to help him during his years of mental illness. He would invent games for the cats, and they loved him dearly.

Although Brian was not officially serving as a pastor, he continued to demonstrate his ministry gifts through activities such as hospital visits, Bible studies at First Baptist Church Brandon, and leading services at the Assiniboine Centre, the Brandon Mental Health Centre, and the Brandon Correctional Centre. He was well known for sharing engaging hymn stories. Brian always remained a pastor, and he used his personal losses to support others. He was deeply people-oriented, carrying a small notebook in which he recorded the names of those he met. When reconnecting with someone he hadn't seen in a while, they were often surprised by the details he remembered. In his later years, Brian kept his church directory by his bedside, praying for all the members and their needs.

Brian was an avid reader who devoured the complete works of his favourite authors, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, including Agatha Christie, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, and many others. He also read the entire Bible many times throughout his life and was known to his family as a walking dictionary. He was the one to ask for the meaning of a word, a scripture reference, or insight into theological issues.

Brian was always very clever and creative, and, by his own admission, eccentric. There was nothing Brian couldn't fix or invent. An excellent cook, he prepared full-course vegetarian meals for himself and his family until he was 89. He had a beautiful baritone singing voice that remained strong into his 90s. His penmanship was amazing, even in his final month of life. He wrote several volumes of creatively diverse poetry and writings for the family, which were brilliantly done, and he always wanted to do more. He experimented with many art forms over the years, including oil painting, cartoon sketches, and computer drawings. The family still enjoys the paintings he did as a teenager. In later years, his digital camera was never far from his person, and he took many beautiful pictures of scenery, flowers, insects, the moon, animals, and people, which he shared with family and friends in lengthy e-mails.

Pat and Brian enjoyed their daughters and their grandchildren, Brian, Krista, Tammy, and Michael, very much. Brian loved interacting with his great-grandchildren, Lilia, Luke, Seth, Theo, Everett, and Ryker. He was particularly joyful and generous when collaborating on gift selections for the family's birthdays and Christmas. Brian and Pat had a special relationship with their niece, Chrystie, of Calgary, and her son, Braden. They also cherished their son-in-law, Tom. Brian was thrilled by the addition of his grandchildren-in-law, Joe, Brendan, and Rachel, and eagerly anticipated the upcoming wedding of his namesake, Brian, and Rachel, who will marry on what would be Brian and Pat’s 67th wedding anniversary.

Brian and Pat were married for 55 years before Pat's passing, and he cared for her at home for all but the last year of her long illness. She was truly the love of his life. Brian was widowed for 11 years and missed his Patsy very much. When he reached his ninth decade, it was bittersweet because he wanted her to turn 90 first!

Brian underwent a quadruple bypass at age 85 at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg. At the time, his surgeon said his general health was incredible, as if he were an 85-year-old man in a 65-year-old body. He lived for six more years and later received Home Care, living in his own home for the rest of his life.

Brian passed away after a brief illness, five days after his 91st birthday. The family is deeply grateful to the Prairie Mountain Health Home Care workers who provided care and joy during his final years. He considered you all family and friends.

No single story can fully capture how Brian touched the people around him. We can say with assurance that his presence mattered, and his absence is deeply felt. Thank you to everyone who has reached out, supported us, and shared in this time of remembrance. Your kindness and your memories mean more than you know. A Celebration of Life will be held on April 18th, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., at First Baptist Church, 3881 Park Avenue, Brandon.