MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins opened Hard Rock Stadium on Monday to honor the life of Senior Vice President Jason Jenkins.
Friends, family and members of the public were welcomed to attend and celebrate a life that was far too short, but so impactful to people from all walks of life.
Jenkins, a beloved member of the Dolphins family and South Florida community, died suddenly on Saturday, Aug. 27.
“There are times where whole communities cry. This is one of those times,” said Stuart Miller, who served with Jenkins on the Board of Directors for the Dolphins Cancer Challenge.
He served in the Dolphins organization for the past 14 years, working closely with the media and with the team’s community affairs teams.
Several people spoke at Monday’s service. Those who Jenkins best, people who worked with him in the community and prayed with him at church talked about the great man he was and the countless lives he touched while working with the Dolphins and at events across South Florida.
There were tears on Monday, and there we smiles. Smiles because Jenkins was always smiling, and those who knew him best believe that’s how he should be remembered.
“Use his example to be inspired and more like him. More selfless, more tolerant, more humble, more kind, more generous to each other. To smile more and to laugh more,” said Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel.
There is no one who made Jason smile more than his wife and children.
They were front and center Monday in celebrating Jenkins, along with his parents.
His wife Elizabeth Jenkins asked people to live and love like Jason.
“I challenge each of you to not let husband’s legacy fall to the wayside,” Jenkins said. “If my husband could touch so many people in his short 47 years on this Earth, and he was just one man, think about what each and every one of you can do walking out of here if you did the same. How much better our world would be. How much kinder, how much more compassionate and loving.”
After Jenkins’ passing, the Dolphins created two memorial funds to honor his legacy and support his three children.
For more information, visit www.miamidolphins.com/remembering-jason-jenkins.