Florence Hope Jinks

Family First Funeral Care

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Posted by: Family First
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Date: Nov 27 2023 3:48 PM

Florence Hope Jinks

1935-2023

Florence Hope Jinks, age 88, passed from this life into the presence of our Lord and Savior on
Thursday, November 23, 2023, at Westside Terrace Health and Rehabilitation in Dothan, Ala.,
after an extended illness.
Mrs. Jinks is survived by her three children: Dennis Marshall Jinks Jr. (Gail), of Collierville,
Tenn.; Julie Louise Jinks Hornsby (Joey) of Dothan, Ala.; and Elizabeth Hope Jinks Lefkovits
(Ken) of Fairhope, Ala. She also leaves six grandchildren: Dennis Marshall Jinks III (Megan) of
Collierville, Tenn.; Sarah Kaitlyn Hornsby Woodham (Chase) of Dothan, Ala.; Alexander Neal
Jinks of Portland, Ore.; Ryan Jordan Jinks of Collierville, Tenn.; Ava Elizabeth Lefkovits of

Fairhope, Ala.; and Benjamin Carr Lefkovits of Fairhope, Ala. She leaves two great-
grandchildren, Everly Grace Woodham and Isla Gray Woodham of Dothan, Ala., whose

presence brought Hope so much joy in her final years. Also surviving is Hope’s beloved sister,
Nancy Edmondson Willis (Dan), of Broken Arrow, Okla.; nephew Daniel Sean Willis, of Broken
Arrow, Okla.; niece Maria Lane Willis Zane (John) of Broken Arrow, Okla.; and their children.
Other close family survivors include cousins Robbie Lee Jinks and Judith Lynn McCutcheon of
Middleburg, Fla., Katherine Marie Jinks of Jacksonville, Fla., and their children. There are
numerous other cousins and many dear friends.
Mrs. Jinks was preceded in death by her husband, Dennis Marshall Jinks; their infant daughter,
Susan Hope Jinks; her parents Lois Allen Ford and William Braxton Edmondson; and her
adoptive father Ernest Orvis Ford.
Born in Mobile, Ala., on September 8, 1935, Hope was raised in Mobile; Dayton, Oh.; and
Midway, Ala. She graduated from Union Springs (Ala.) High School in 1953.
Hope met the love of her life, Dennis Jinks, when she was 11 and he was 13. Hope and Denny
married at Calvary Baptist Church in Dothan on June 9, 1957. She was a devoted wife
throughout Denny’s 38-year career in the U.S. Army. Hope anchored the family at home as
Denny served hardship tours to South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Saudi Arabia. Together,
they enjoyed Denny’s two overseas assignments to Germany where they raised their children
and traveled extensively.
Hope was a professional writer, beginning her career as a reporter for the Society page of the
Dothan Eagle. Later, she was an award-winning reporter for the Southern Star weekly
newspaper in Ozark, Ala. She worked in various writing and editing roles in the Federal Civil
Service, including serving the Aviation Branch at Fort Rucker, Ala. She retired from Civil Service
in 1995.
For 32 years, the Jinks family were members of the First United Methodist Church of Ozark.
Gifted with a beautiful soprano singing voice, Hope performed regularly for many years as part
of the chancel choir.
In 2000, Hope and Denny realized a lifelong dream when they moved from Ozark to Midway.
They painstakingly remodeled an old Jinks family home, built circa 1885, and transformed it
into a beautiful, stately work of love.
In 2003, Denny and Hope were instrumental in establishing a new Gideons camp in Union
Springs, Ala. Hope later served in various leadership roles for the Gideons Auxiliary, including
Alabama State Chaplain.

Hope became an active member of the First Baptist Church of Union Springs, where she
taught Sunday School. She was also a member of many local charitable organizations focusing
on sharing the love of Christ with the community. She took an active interest in the lives of her
ladies at the local prison through her Bible ministry. Hope also organized and led large donation
campaigns to purchase Christmas gifts and personally deliver them to children of prison
inmates in the area.
During those years prior to her sweetheart’s passing, Hope and Denny enjoyed traveling across
the country visiting friends and family. They attended many Gideons conventions as well as
mission trips with their church. They were true partners in every sense of the word. During this
time, Denny and Hope connected with a ministry called ServantCARE and listed their home as
a Hospitality Home to be used for caring for those who serve the Lord. In 2018, Hope moved to
Dothan to be closer to family and donated the Jinks family home in Midway to this ministry.
The home has been renamed “The Resting Place” and is now used for housing and caring for
pastors, missionaries and those in ministry.
Hope Jinks was a devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She attended every
possible family birthday, graduation, sporting event and dance recital. She was the greatest
cheerleader one could imagine as she loved her family with every fiber of her being. Hope will
be remembered for her intelligence, inquisitive mind and quick wit, but mostly for her servant’s
heart.
Services to celebrate the life of Florence Hope Jinks will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday,
December 1, 2023, at Bay Springs Baptist Church in Dothan, with Brother Tommy Green
officiating. Visitation will be held at 10 a.m.
A military graveside service will be conducted at Arlington National Cemetery, the site of her
husband’s burial, at a future date.
The Jinks family requests that, in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Gideons
International, Bullock County Camp, P.O. Box 109, Union Springs, Alabama 36089 or
ServantCARE, P.O. Box 172, Eufaula, AL 36072.

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