Richard was born in Lynchburg, Virginia to Robert Julian Jenkins and Beulah Crews Jenkins. He graduated from E. C. Glass High School in Lynchburg. He entered the U. S. Navy from 1950 until 1954 and sailed on the USS Mt. McKinley AGC 7 during the Korean War. He then attended Lynchburg College and graduated cum laude in 1957. He later received his MBA from the University of Massachusetts in 1970. Early in his career Richard was a traveling auditor and held several upper level management positions with General Electric. When Richard moved to Alabama, he first worked as a Senior VP and CFO of Diversified Products in Opelika. For the past 10 years, he was the General Manager of Auburn Millworks in Auburn. Richard served as an Elder in the Presbyterian Church, was Chairman of the Stewardship Committee, and a member of the Burton Bible Class. He was a member of the Auburn Lion's Club and was a recipient of the Melvin Jones Fellowship award, the highest award an individual may receive. Richard was the loving husband for 53 years to his wife, Doris, and was her main caregiver for the last 10 years; he is also survived by their daughter, Trena and her husband Robert Hargreaves, and their three daughters, Hannah, Caroline, and Mary Katherine Hargreaves, of Alpharetta, Georgia; and their son, Richard "Rick" Jenkins of Charlotte, North Carolina. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Auburn, 143 East Thach Avenue, Auburn, Alabama, 36830. The family will receive friends following the service in Conway Fellowship Hall at the Presbyterian Church.