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Sharon Ruth (Wilson) Jenkins

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Sharon Ruth (Wilson) Jenkins passed away peacefully on October 20, 2024, at her home in Summerset, South Dakota. Sharon loved her family deeply and without conditions. She had a beautiful spirit and was a wonderful friend who greeted you with open arms regardless of how long it had been since she last saw you. Her wit and humor will undoubtedly live on in the hearts of all those who knew her. Sharon was born April 2, 1940, to Frederick W. Wilson II and Barbara Neal (Slater) Wilson. She was born in Montpelier, Idaho, because there was no hospital in the small town of Cokeville, Wyoming, where her family lived. Her parents were teachers, and the family moved several times in her early youth. From Cokeville, Wyoming, they moved to Spearfish, South Dakota, and in 1949, the family moved to Buffalo, South Dakota onto the original Wilson homestead. She remained in Buffalo throughout her school years but was blessed to spend time with her grandparents at their cabin in Spearfish Canyon, as well as their home in Hot Springs. Sharon graduated from Buffalo High School in 1958 and spent that summer working in a café in Hot Springs, but she knew that wasn’t where she wanted to stay. She enlisted in the US Navy that fall and began basic training in October 1959 in Bainbridge, Maryland. She recalled being “woefully unprepared” for life outside rural South Dakota, but it turned out to be the second-best decision she ever made. After training to work in the Photo Lab, she was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida. This is where she would ultimately make the best decision ever, in accepting a recommendation from friends and going on a blind date with a dashing young gentleman from Alabama named Leonard Jenkins. Sharon and Lenny became best friends, and were married December 28, 1960, at the Congregational Church in Buffalo, South Dakota. They remained best friends through several station assignments and deployments. While in Jacksonville the following year, they welcomed their first child, a son who they named William Curtis to honor their fathers. In 1962, Sharon was expecting their second child and Lenny’s ship was deployed in support of the Viet Nam War, so Sharon came to South Dakota and stayed in New Underwood, South Dakota, with her sister Terrill. Their daughter, Barbara Ellen was born at Ellsworth Air Force Base and named to honor their mothers. Following Barbara’s birth, they were stationed at San Diego, California, and then transferred to the US Naval Station in Guam. In 1964, they welcomed their third child, a daughter they named Debora Ann. Lenny’s ship was deployed again, and the family was moved back to San Diego until the end of the war. Their next station was Great Lakes Naval Training Center, in Chicago, Illinois. Lenny taught electronics and communications and served as a substance abuse counselor, while Sharon took accounting classes and managed their household. In 1974, the family moved to what would be their final duty station at Summerville, South Carolina. After a year or so there, Lenny made the decision to retire and move, in his words, as far away from water as he could get. So, the family moved to Sharon’s hometown of Buffalo, South Dakota. They bought a local business and settled into the community. Sharon loved being back home in Buffalo. She helped start the Harding County EMT Association. In fact, she was a member of the very first EMT class in Harding County. She was active with the Harding County Ambulance Board and taught countless CPR and EMT classes in service to the community. Sharon inspired many members of the community to take those classes and serve their community. She became the first EMT-Intermediate in Harding County out of concern for the long distances rural patients had to travel for definitive emergency care. She was invited to be part of the very first class of EMS Instructor Trainers in the state. In recognition of her service, Sharon was awarded the South Dakota EMT of the Year award by the South Dakota Emergency Medical Technician Association (now SD Emergency Medical Services Association) in 1995. Following Lenny’s death in 1998, Sharon invited her granddaughter Allison to move back to Buffalo so she could stay with Sharon and attend school in Buffalo instead of in Rapid City. This brought life and joy back into Sharon’s life, as her house became again filled with love and laughter. Ally’s friends frequently dropped in at Granny’s house, and she loved them all. Shortly after Ally graduated from high school and moved back to Rapid City, Sharon decided she was getting older, her vision wasn’t what it used to be, and it was time to move closer to her medical providers and, of course, her family. Sharon became a member of Zion Lutheran Church where her great-grandchildren attended school. She enjoyed their LifeLight Bible Study, brought her great-grandchildren to Vacation Bible School, and loved attending the great-grandkids’ school programs. Sharon was preceded in death by her parents, Frederick and Barbara Wilson, her husband Leonard, sisters Terrill Eckert and Barbara Adams-Bleth, her daughter Barbara Everson, sister-in-law Jackie Jenkins, two nieces and a nephew, She is survived by her son William (Gabriele) Jenkins of Schoenaich, Germany, and their children Frederik, Philipp, and Josephine; her daughter Debora (Robert) Weinert of Rapid City, SD; granddaughter Ally (Cody) Ford of Black Hawk, SD; great-grandchildren Kolby Rosser, Kaelyn Bertsch, and Landon Ford, as well as Kolby’s daughter, Sharon’s great-great-granddaughter, Aria Head. She is also survived by her remaining siblings: Fred (Judee) Wilson of Belle Fourche, SD; Linda Wilson of Tavares, FL; Tom (Lori) Wilson of Buffalo, SD, and Julie (Michael) Lipparelli of Eustis, FL, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, and in-laws. Visitation will be Tuesday, October 29, 2024, from 5-7 PM at the Buffalo Rec Center. Funeral services will be at the Buffalo Rec Center on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at 10:30 AM. Committal will be Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at 2:30 PM at Black Hills National Cemetery. Sharon will be buried with full military honors and laid to rest next to her beloved husband.

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