Lori Mary Jenkins

MARIETTA: Beloved mother and grandmother, Mary Loretta “Lori” Jenkins, passed away peacefully on August 16, 2026. Lori was born on June 21, 1940 to the late Loren Alexander Riggs and Claire Smith Riggs. She was raised in Claxton and Savannah, Georgia and was influenced by not only her parents but also her beloved grandmother and many loving aunts, uncles and cousins in Savannah. Upon graduation from high school, she attended The University of Georgia and worked for four years as the Human Resources Manager at the Athens Banner Herald. While in Athens, she met two of her best friends, Joan and Brownie Ramsey. Their adventures in Athens and beyond are some of her favorite memories and they remained lifelong friends. She and Joan would talk and laugh on the phone for hours and they continued their phone chats until the last few days of Lori’s life. Lori moved from Athens to Atlanta, where she developed a love for the game of tennis. She played and taught tennis for many years. Her young players called her Wonder Woman and appreciated her sweet tooth because she always shared her bag of candy at the end of each practice. Tennis fueled her competitive spirit and introduced her to some of her best friends and teammates, including Mary Kash, Beverly Smith, Margie LaRue and Cheryl Touchton, just to name a few. They laughed, cried and traveled together. They hosted wedding and baby showers for each other’s children and celebrated all of life’s blessings. Her lifelong friendships with these beautiful women were remarkable. Shortly after moving to Atlanta, her only daughter, Julie, was born. Julie was the center of her world and remained there for Lori’s whole life. When Julie went to college, Lori began a new career as a real estate professional. She loved meeting new people and she had a unique way of building lifelong friendships with her colleagues and clients. It was hard to imagine that she could love anyone more than Julie until her three precious grandbabies, John, Jack and Sarah, were born. They were her pride and joy. She poured everything she had into them and she would drop anything to spend time with them. She loved running, playing and creating with them. She was a permanent fixture at their celebrations and sporting events. Her favorite thing in the world was watching John and Jack play baseball and watching Sarah play tennis. She was often called the team grandmom because she was so beloved by their teammates and their families. Julie was often told by friends how lucky she was to have a mother who was so actively involved in her children’s lives. Lori’s grandchildren were her greatest joy. Lori was preceded in death by her brothers Jimmy, Tommy and Charles Riggs and her sister Barbara Wise. She is survived by her daughter Julie and son-in-law Stan Logan and her grandchildren John (22), Jack (19) and Sarah (16), whom she loved with all of her heart. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Lori’s memory to Emory’s Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at www.giving.emory.edu.

Mellie NeSmith Funeral Home in charge of arrangements

“Our Family Serving Your Family”

“Since 1917”

(912) 739-3338

www.nesmithfuneralhome.com

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