Blayne Carlton Jenks

Blayne Carlton Jenks passed away peacefully on the morning of June 23, 2021, at his home in Blue Lake with family members by his side.

Blayne was a lifelong resident of Humboldt County. He was born in Rohnerville on September 18, 1934, to Charlie and Bernice Jenks. He had one sister, Betty. Blayne grew up in the Fortuna area and graduated from Fortuna High School in 1953. He participated in student government, held class offices, played several sports, and was awarded the White Sweater. After graduation, he attended Chico State College.

Blayne returned to Humboldt County and began his truck driving career of more than 40 years. The majority of his truck driving career was working for Simpson Timber Company hauling logs and lumber. Shortly after his retirement from Simpson Timber Company, Blayne decided he wasn’t finished with his driving career and began transferring automobiles for several local car dealerships.

Blayne lived a large part of his life in Fortuna where he had two sons, Keith and Blake Jenks. In 1979, Blayne married the love of his life, Virginia, and moved to Blue Lake, gaining three stepsons: Jeff Hackney, Todd Hackney, and Gregg Boughton.

Blayne made many friends while living in Blue Lake. He walked several miles every day until the last couple months of his life. He enjoyed playing poker and Texas hold ‘em with friends. He and Virginia also took several trips with friends to Reno and Las Vegas. Blayne was a hard worker and was always busy with projects around the house and yard. He also enjoyed gardening and model trains. Blayne looked forward to football season every year so that he could watch his favorite team, the San Francisco 49ers. He also enjoyed NASCAR.

Blayne dearly loved his grandchildren and the feeling was mutual. Some of their favorite times were spent on their many camping trips with Grandpa and Grandma. They enjoyed setting up the camp, swimming, and learning to whittle. The grandkids always wanted to stay with Grandpa and Grandma during school holidays, vacations, and weekends. They were even known to hide when they saw their parents coming to pick them up, with the hope that they could stay a little longer. Blayne was always willing to play board games, do puzzles, teach them to drive, or participate in any activity they wanted. As they grew older, he attended their sporting events, followed their activities, enjoyed hearing of their travels, and loved being a great-grandfather to their children.

Blayne was preceded in death by his parents Charlie and Bernice Jenks, sister Betty Reeves, son Blake Jenks, and granddaughter Amanda Hackney. He is survived by his beloved wife Virginia Jenks, his son Keith (Mary Jean) Jenks, and stepsons Jeff (Laurie) Hackney, Todd Hackney, and Gregg (Denise) Boughton. He is survived by his grandchildren: Amy Hackney, Andrew Hackney, Kyle Boughton, Alexa (Brian) Boots, Russell Hackney, Tiffany (Phillip) Smith, Chrystal (Dustin) Pamplona, and Ashley Jenks. Blayne also is survived by his great-grandchildren: Kaylee Boughton, Lovelyn Boughton, Otis Boots, JoAnn Smith, Lydia Pamplona, Clayton Pamplona and Casey Pamplona.

Blayne will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who knew him. His family would like to thank Dr. Najar and the many nurses at St. Joseph Hospital for their compassionate care. A special thank you also to Hospice of Humboldt and Helping Hands for their support to the family, so Blayne was able to spend his last days at home.

A private graveside service for family members will be held on Friday, July 2, 2021. Arrangements are under the direction of Paul’s Chapel in Arcata. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Humboldt or a favorite charity of your choice.

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