Thomas L. Jenkins

Today The Washington Post published an obituary for Washington, D.C., resident Thomas L. Jenkins. Mr. Jenkins, as seen in this photo from my season ticket-holder booklet, was featured in the 2009-2010 Washington Capitals ticket book, and was clearly a dedicated fan.

This excerpt from Mr. Jenkins’ obituary was particularly illustrative of his devotion to the sport we all love:

“He had a boisterous personality,” said his son, Neil Jenkins, 19, a student at Montgomery College in Rockville. “He wasn’t afraid to cheer loudly. He made friends with everyone — the woman who checks your tickets at the top of the stairs, the Caps’ photographer, all the hard-core fans. He talked to everyone and made friends with everyone and kept those friends.”

Mr. Jenkins wasn’t a hockey player, although he once secretly took lessons to surprise his son, who could skate. He picked up his love of the sport from watching games on television while growing up in Williamsburg.

That Mr. Jenkins secretly took skating lessons just to surprise his son is truly heartwarming. Here was a man whose passion for both the sport and his family led him to strap on skates for the first time, probably with wobbling legs like a newborn fawn (I know that’s what it was like for me). It’s one thing to start skating as a child, when one’s bones are rubbery and one’s sense of invulnerability are intact. It’s quite another thing to hit the ice for the first time when hitting the ice is likely going to hurt like hell.

We at OFB wish Mr. Jenkins’ family well, and mourn the passing of someone who shared our passion for rocking the red.