| William Jenkins |
| 4/20/2015 |
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William (Bill) D. Jenkins, 72 of Canton, died on April 20th after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Bill was born and raised on Mechanic Street in Canton; he was the second child of George and Eleanor Jenkins. Bill was a varsity basketball and football player at Canton High, and he continued as a football player at Bridgewater State University. While at Bridgewater, Bill was an active member of Kappa Delta Phi and remained in touch with his fraternity brothers until his death. After graduating from Bridgewater State with a BA in Education, he moved to Chicago for several years.
Bill returned to Massachusetts in 1974 where he met the love of his life, Judy Naumann Jenkins. Together, they began finding land, building houses and creating communities throughout Southern Massachusetts as founders of Can-Four Corp., one of Massachusetts’s leading developers for over 30 years. Bill was a long-time member of the Builders and Remodelers Association of Greater Boston (BRAGB) and the National Home Builders Association; he served on the BRAGB Board of Directors for many years, and in 2009, was named the Association’s Builder of the Year. Bill believed in giving back to his community through his work. He was a tireless advocate for affordable housing, and Can-Four developed several affordable housing communities. In 2009 he was approached by current Congressman Bill Keating to help make the dream of a Norfolk Advocates for Children facility in Foxboro a reality. Not only did Bill’s company Can-Four design the building, he also supervised construction with the help of his brother George Jenkins and enlisted countless suppliers and sub-contractors to donate materials and services. For many years he was a volunteer with Rebuilding Together Boston, a national day of service sponsored by building associations across the country and the NFL. Bill and Judy were actively involved and supportive of Xaverian Brothers High School, which their youngest son Tyler attended. Even before his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer, Bill participated in the Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Foundation’s annual walk in support of friends John DeShazo and Jean Kelleher. Among Bill’s many passions were skiing, traveling, reading, history, Trivial Pursuit, military history, and Boston sports. Bill was a season ticket holder for the New England Patriots for over 20 years. Most of all Bill loved being with his friends and family. He greatly loved and was immensely proud of his children, William (B.J.) Jenkins Jr., Shannon Jenkins, and Tyler Jenkins. He graciously welcomed their spouses, Julie Jenkins, Doug Roscoe, and Mel Kramer, into the family. His grandchildren, Tatum and William D. Jenkins III (Trey) and Quinlan and Berkley Roscoe, were the center of his universe. Throughout his life and up until the end, Bill was surrounded loving friends and family, particularly his siblings George and Marla Jenkins, Marsha and her late spouse Bob Bogdanchik, Patricia and Frank Cavuoto, Eleanor and John Connolly, Cheryl and Jim Barry; his many nieces and nephews; and his late brother-in-law Robert Naumann. We are deeply saddened by his passing, but it is fitting that our fighter passed away on Patriot’s Day after his own long marathon. Visiting hours will be held at Dockray & Thomas Funeral Home at Washington Street in Canton from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 24th. A funeral mass will be held at St. John the Evangelist in Canton Saturday at 10:30 a.m., followed by interment at Canton Town Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Bill’s memory be made to the Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Foundation, 111 Stewart Ave., Bethpage, NY 11714. | |||||
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