David A. Jenkins, 1941-2025

David Albert Jenkins, 84 died peacefully on December 12, 2025, watching the sun set on the Gulf of Mexico from his home in Boca Grande. His loving and supportive children, Dave and Bonnie, and his devoted wife Barbara were at his side. 

Dave was born on February 28, 1941, to Helen Klinger Jenkins and Joseph Edwards Jenkins. He graduated from Bloomfield H.S. in the town where he was raised. An outstanding student, he also stood out on the football field, in track and field, orchestra and jazz band and was V.P. of his graduating class. In 1963 he graduated from Lehigh University with honors. At Lehigh he was active in the fraternity Beta Theta Pi where he formed important friendships. Five days after graduation he was married to Barbara Bonnefond whom he met in High School and together they began their new life in Charlottesville, Virginia, where they met many of their life-long friends. He earned his LLB from the University of Virginia’s School of Law in 1966. He was on the Virginia Law Review, was a member of the Raven Society and Omicron Delta Kappa. Following his law school graduation, Dave was invited to join Cravath, Swaine and Moore in New York City, where he worked with many accomplished lawyers. In 1970 he served as Vice President and General Counsel for the Bedford Stuyvesant Development and Service Corporation. Friends he met there were instrumental in his decision to accept the position of Senior Lecturer in Law at the Law Development Center in Kampala, Uganda. Upon his return to the U.S., he joined the Celanese Corporation where he had a long and successful career. In 1976 he received a degree from the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School. He served as Vice President and General Counsel at Hoechst Celanese from 1989-1999. In 1999 he was named President and General Counsel of the Celanese Corporation of Summit, New Jersey.

Although his accomplishments were impressive, they do little to capture who Dave was as a person. He was always a gentleman, rarely raised his voice and never spoke ill of others. It was difficult to get him to talk of his own accomplishments and he would divert the discussion back to the other person. An avid reader and learner, he continued to take on-line courses in Art, Philosophy and Literature throughout his life. He was an enthusiastic tennis player. Tennis remained a treasured pastime up until his last year. Some of his best friendships were formed on the courts. Bridge became an important part of his social life. Evenings spent playing bridge with friends before dinner were special. He later served on the Board of the Boca Grande Duplicate Bridge Club as club manager. Many hours were spent at the Mantoloking Yacht Club in New Jersey where he served as Commodore in 2004. He was an enthusiastic sailor who in his later years switched from sailing to power boats. He was also a member of the Bay Head Yacht Club, the Boca Grande Pass Yacht Club, the Boca Bay Pass Club and a social member of the Boca Grande Club. Dave loved his experiences with Royal Palm Players. His most memorable role was that of the butler. His deadpan demeanor got laughs as soon as he stepped onto the stage. He was in over 12 different plays. The support he received from his fellow players was a delight. Dave was always the happiest in his workshop. He was working on many projects and often received requests from friends to fix broken chairs or tables. His major project was rebuilding his 1903 house on the ocean in Mantoloking, New Jersey. This project was on-going and that house provided the backdrop for many family gatherings, engagement parties, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. He loved having his family and friends gathered in the dining room for meals.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Barbara, his son David (Margaret) and his daughter Bonnie Codey (Frank), six grandchildren: Kelly Jenkins (Nick Thompson), Brian Jenkins (Alexa Iorillo), Kyle Codey (Haley Hester), Kendall Codey (Tyler Kimble), Matthew Jenkins (Melissa Len) and Patrick Codey and two great-grandchildren: August and April Thompson. In lieu of a formal service a celebration of life will be held at a later date.

David Jenkins

Feb. 28, 1941 – Dec. 12, 2025