Darla J. Jenkins

Darla Jolene Jenkins was born on March 26, 1965, to Anson W. and Eleanor E. (Newman) Dossett and was the third child in a family of four. The Dossett family lived in the country, and grew up with country values. Darla was active in the local 4H club, where she loved learning home-making skills such as sewing, cooking, baking, and working with livestock. The Dossett's were active in church, where they met the Jenkins family in 1972. Darla's older brother Larry and Jeff Jenkins became good friends. At the tender age of 9, Darla told Jeff's big sister she was going to marry Jeff, and 15 years later, on October 14, 1989, they were married in Wichita, Kansas where Jeff was working for the Boeing Aircraft Company.

Darla spent the first six years of school in a one-room school house in Conway, KS (now a ghost town), and later would go on to graduate from McPherson High School (class of 1983). After Jeff and Darla were married, they moved to Seattle, WA, and later to Las Cruces, NM. Darla worked at the local Dairy Queen and put Jeff through graduate school, before quitting to raise a family as Jeff worked for White Sands Missile Range.

Darla's greatest joy was being a wife and a devoted mother to four children; Nathan, Stephen, Timothy, and Sarah. When the children started elementary school, Darla began volunteering as an Educational Assistant with Kinder, 1st, 2nd, and later 4th grade classes. She enjoyed her volunteer work so much that she stayed long after the kids grew up, and worked at Highland Elementary until the COVID pandemic in 2020.

Darla was active in her church, her Bible study fellowship, and loved to travel when she could. She enjoyed her trips to Hawaii, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Washington, DC, France, Germany, and many spots in between. Jeff often took her to odd places to observe Solar Eclipses!

Her greatest joy of all came on July 4th, 2022, when she became a grandmother to John Joseph Jenkins, who she loved to call Triple J, or her "Little Fire Cracker".

As the family genealogist, she was always interested in the "dash" between the dates in obituaries and on grave markers. She led a full and wonderful life, and filled her "dash" with much joy - her own, and that of those around her.

Sadly, she was taken from us much too young after a year-long battle with liver disease, on March 18, 2026, just one week short of her 61st birthday. She will be sorely missed by her family and loved ones.

She is survived by: her husband, Jeff Jenkins of Las Cruces, NM; father, Anson (Peggy) Dossett of McPherson; brother, Keith Dossett of McPherson; sister, Susan Dossett of McPherson; and her four children; Nathan of McPherson; Stephen (Madison) of Los Lunas, NM; Tim of Las Cruces, NM; and Sarah (Chandler) Olazaba of Brooklyn, NY. She also leaves behind her beloved grandson, John Jenkins of Los Lunas, NM and in-laws, Pauline (Johnson) Dossett of McPherson, KS, Marcė (Jenkins) Lorenzen of Rayleigh, NC, and John Jenkins of Maize, KS.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Eleanor, and her older brother Larry.

A celebration of Darla’s life will be held at 3:00 PM, Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Countryside Covenant Church with Rev. Jon Black officiating.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity of your choice, such as a church youth group or animal shelter. Donations can be sent in care of Stockham Family Funeral Home, 205 N. Chestnut St., McPherson, KS 67460.