- Date Of Birth: December 4, 1936
- Date Of Death: November 18, 2017
- State: Idaho
Marilyn K. Jenkins, 80, a lifelong resident of Genesee, passed away peacefully at Gritman Medical Center in Moscow surrounded by her loving family on Saturday evening, Nov. 18, 2017, due to complications from battling cancer and other health issues for several years. She was the eldest of three daughters born Dec. 4, 1936, in Puyallup, WA to Henry and Marie Biehn (German; pronounced bean); who were rhubarb, raspberry, strawberry, blackberry and blueberry farmers. Marilyn and her sisters grew up picking rhubarb and berries for their parents, either after school or during the summers. She also spent her childhood listening to baseball on the radio and became a dedicated fan, especially of the Seattle Mariners since 1977 and on. Shortly after high school Marilyn began working as a bank teller. She dreamed of marrying a baseball player and not a farmer. However, in 1955 she met Ken Jenkins in Puyallup while he was stationed at Fort Lewis in the U.S. Army, a farmer who didn’t care for baseball (as much as Marilyn did). On Nov. 16, 1956, they were married in Puyallup where they lived until 1958 when they moved to Genesee, ID to take over the family farming. After moving to Genesee, Marilyn became a farmer’s wife and continued working as a bank teller in Genesee. She eventually quit to raise three children and found her niche as a homemaker. She grew a large garden for produce throughout the calendar year that provided several projects, including canning and making jam and jelly.
