John Jennings

John Jennings, 81, of Amarillo, passed away on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Celebration of Life Services will be 10:00 AM Friday, September 11, 2026 at Hillside Christian Church, 6100 S. Soncy Rd. with Pastor Greg Corona officiating. 

John was born April 27, 1945, in Hurlwood, Texas, to William “Bill” and Donaleen Jennings. His family moved to Blackwell, Oklahoma, in 1946, where John grew up on the family farm and graduated from Blackwell High School. He loved growing up on the farm and the many opportunities it gave him. He loved learning to work on and drive the farm equipment; tending to the pastures and the animals who grazed the pastureland; fishing at the pond on the land; and, especially, helping with each year’s wheat harvest. As an adult, he continued to return home to help during harvest season. He had a lifetime of stories of growing up on the farm—about the old red barn, tractors, harvest season, grain elevators, barn cats, catching fireflies, homemade lemonade, and hanging out at the family tractor repair shop. 

John graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1968, where he not only enjoyed his classes, but had even more fun with his fraternity brothers, and enjoyed drumming in a local band. He moved to Amarillo in 1968, and made the Texas Panhandle his home. He worked as an electrical engineer at Pantex Plant for the entirety of his career. Along the way, he also earned a Master of Technology degree from West Texas A&M University. 

As an adult, John continued to love to work with his hands – woodworking, working on cars, volunteering to build homes for Habitat for Humanity, remodeling his fixer upper homes, or on any other projects his friends asked him for help. He loved being outdoors and being in nature. During the summers he loved camping and playing volleyball, and in the winters he loved snow skiing. He loved many birds and “critters,” most notably dogs. When not outdoors or working with his hands, you could find him inside dancing. He enjoyed all varieties of dancing and was especially good at two-stepping. Yet through all that activity, he rarely missed a Sunday afternoon nap. John shared much of his later life with his wife, Mary, his true life partner and loving and devoted companion. Mary was sweet, patient, and encouraging—and fortunately possessed enough good humor to put up with John’s teasing personality. Together they shared faith, family, friends, and many camping and travel adventures while also enjoying the ordinary rhythms of life that so often became their most treasured memories. John was a loving and engaged Daddy to his twin girls, Julie and Jennifer, eagerly involved from infancy through adulthood. He remained a steady source of practical advice, encouragement, and support through life's highs and lows. He was a solid rock of gentle strength and encouragement to his daughters. 

As a grandfather, he became Granddaddy J, bringing that same attentiveness to Katie and Jacob that he did to his daughters. He stayed genuinely interested in the details of their lives and had a remarkable ability to form a relationship with each that was uniquely their own. John also never met a stranger. He could strike up a conversation with almost anyone and readily admitted that he “would talk to anyone, whether they were interested or not.” Behind the humor, however, there was a genuine interest in people. John summed it up this way: “If you can't leave another smiling, leave them feeling better about themselves.”  John had a special way of loving people just as they were, appreciating each person’s individual personality while making certain they knew they were loved, believed in, and a source of pride to him. Life eventually brought John unexpected physical limitations that no longer allowed him to participate in many of the things he had loved. Instead of dwelling on what he could no longer do or on his life circumstances, he remained grateful for all he had done. “I have a lot of good memories,” he would say. When he could no longer travel and camp as he once had, he happily traveled through his family—following their adventures, asking for pictures and occasionally mapping out itineraries so they could experience places he had once enjoyed. More than wishing for the past, John delighted in watching the people he loved make good memories of their own.

 As time passed, John found new interests in life, which centered on giving back to others. This included volunteering as a small group leader to middle school boys at his church, reading to elementary school kids, going into the middle schools to teach character development classes, helping to coordinate social events for his neighborhood, and volunteering with Snack Pak for Kids. Perhaps what was most remarkable about John, and what will remain most lasting for those who loved him, was his faith. John wasn't interested in making faith complicated. He had a genuine and deep trust in God: God was good, God was his Father, and God had a plan. He trusted God’s plan. Looking back over his life, John wrote, “My life has had its ups and downs, its good times and bad times, but I would not trade it for anyone else's, nor would I care to go back and change anything in it.” He was never too proud to own his own shortcomings, and he acknowledged, in his own words, “making some bad choices that seemed like good choices at the time.” But his conclusion wasn't regret. It was gratitude: “God has followed me through all of those. I have been so blessed in so many ways.” 

John is survived by his twin daughters, Julie Jennings and Jennifer Jennings Branson and her husband, Roger; his granddaughter, Katie; his grandson, Jacob; and his sister, Janette Deskin and her husband, Jack. He also leaves behind Linda Rather, the loving mother of his twin daughters and a lifelong friend. 

He was preceded in death by his very loving wife, Mary. They certainly enjoyed life together, and once he started to experience significant physical challenges, Mary was unwavering in her attentive care and love for him. John’s legacy will live in the people he loved. His gentle strength, generous love, steady encouragement to others, ability to be thankful in all circumstances and uncomplicated trust in his Heavenly Father were lessons he taught simply by living them. John’s family extends their deepest gratitude to the many friends and caregivers who walked alongside him and who, over time, became family to John and to us. We are grateful not only for the friendship and care you provided but also for the loving, patient, and tender ways in which you provided it. You cared for someone we dearly love. We thank God for each of you.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials may be made to any of the ministries that were special to John, including Amarillo SPCA, Snak Pak 4 Kids, or Hillside Christian Church.