Rose Catherine Bennett Jenkins, 83, passed away peacefully on May 19, 2014 in Salt Lake City. She was born in Salt Lake City on January 27, 1931, the fourth child of Harold Harper Bennett and Emily Higgs Bennett. She attended East High School and graduated from the University of Utah. Rose married Joseph Richard Jenkins on September 9, 1952 in the Salt Lake Temple.
Rose was devoted to her family and friends. She loved her siblings and was proud of their shared Bennett and Higgs heritage. She was generous and loved to give small tokens of regard to friends, family, and even comparative strangers.
Rose was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who possessed an abiding testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
For many years, Rose was the Director of the Wedding Registry at ZCMI where she enjoyed working directly with brides and their families. Her impeccable taste was an enormous asset in her work. She supervised the entire operation, including the transition of the department to a multi-store operation.
Rose was a survivor. She had her first stroke during open-heart surgery at age 44, but fought her way back and continued to work and care for her family for many years, despite being widowed at age 49. She was determined to maintain her independence for as long as possible, despite more strokes and cancer. Rose is an example of perseverance and enduring to the end.
Rose made friends easily and kept them long. A special treasure of her life was Dinner Group, consisting of friends from as far back as elementary school and their spouses, who have met for dinner every month for over 60 years.
Rose is survived by her brothers John Bennett, Michael (Jan) Bennett and Stephen (Susan) Bennett, brothers-in-law Dean Belnap, David Lowden and Nate Winters, sister-in-law Rebecca Bennett, three children, Maren (Paul) Durham, Salt Lake City; Cathy (Douglas) Bates, West Jordan, and John Howard (Heidi), Salt Lake City; twelve grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren . She was preceded in death by her father and mother, husband, sisters Mary Elen Belnap, Anne Lowden, and Susan Winters, her brother Peter Bennett and sister-in-law Moana Bennett.
Services will be held on Wednesday, May 28, at 11:00 am at the Monument Park Stake Center, 1320 S. Wasatch Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah. Friends may call Tuesday, May 27, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Larkin Sunset Lawn, 2350 E. 1300 South, Salt Lake City, Utah, and on Wednesday, May 28, from 9:30 am to 10:40 am at the Monument Park Stake Center. Interment at Larkin Sunset Lawn.
The family wishes to thank the staff of Wellington Assisted Living and Brighton Hospice for their dedicated and caring service.
