Mary Guinnell Jinkins Blake

Mary Guinnell "Nell" Jinkins Blake, 99, of Marietta, Georgia, passed away on October 8th, 2019. Nell was born July 19, 1920, in Nacogdoches, the “oldest town in Texas.” There she and her two younger sisters, Jean and Fairy, grew up under the watchful eyes of their father, J. Farris Jinkins, a tough-as-nails World War I veteran and the sheriff of Nacogdoches County, and their mother, Irene Simons Jinkins, who made sure that the girls got to school on time, were in church every Sunday, and learned her own legendary cooking skills. She attended Nacogdoches High School, just a few blocks from home. Also close by was Stephen F. Austin State University, where in 1942 she earned her bachelors degree in education. After graduation, Nell began her teaching career—one that would last forty years—living at home and teaching English and home economics at her alma mater, Nacogdoches High. Less than a year later, on March 15, 1943, she married her high school sweetheart, Lynn T. Blake Jr. He had graduated from Texas A&M, earned his commission in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and with the entry of the U.S. into World War II, was about to deploy, first to North Africa, then later to Europe. They would not see each other again for more than two years. The war over and her husband home at last, Nell’s life changed forever. Now a military wife (and soon to be a mother), she accompanied him on his frequent transfers throughout the southeastern U.S., and later, to Germany. But wherever she went, she taught, usually the second through the fourth grades. This nomadic life continued for the next fifteen years, until their final transfer to Marietta,\ where she spent the last half of her career teaching at Sedalia Park Elementary and Compton Elementary. Nell was a born teacher: patient and loving, but also demanding. Her mission was to prepare each of her students to meet the challenges of adulthood, and she dedicated herself to that task. Her days began early, getting her own children ready, and ended late, usually sitting in her favorite stuffed chair, a makeshift desktop across her lap, grading (and correcting) the seemingly bottomless stack of mimeographed exam papers. But as much as she gave to her students, she gave even more to her husband and children. She was the rock of the family. No matter the trial or tribulation, she was always there. Even in her declining years and with her husband passed, she continued to unite the family, bringing sisters and brothers closer and closer together. For them, that legacy of love was her greatest gift of all. Nell was preceded in death by her husband, Lynn T. Blake Jr., and her sisters, Jean Sittig and Fairy Pace. She is survived by her four children, Lynn T. Blake III (Carol), Darby B. Watson (John), Pamela B. Kapperman (Bruce), and William A. Blake (Jill); nine grandchildren, Lynn Blake IV, Ashley Willoughby, Ryan Blake, Carey Watson, Sarah Douglas, Andrew Travis, Adam Travis, Nathan Blake, and Darby Blake; and fourteen great-grandchildren. A funeral service will be held at 12 p.m. on Friday, October 11th, at Mayes Ward-Dobbins Marietta Chapel. The family will receive guests for one hour prior to the service at Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home. Internment will follow immediately at Georgia Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers please make donations to Smile Train Inc at: https://my.smiletrain.org/donation/donate/givenow?_ga=2.73913746.1036194489.1570799838-2105302364.1570799838&_gac=1.238772660.1570799839.EAIaIQobChMInoXPr6WU5QIVB77ACh1V2gsCEAAYASAAEgJsb_D_BwE

Mary Guinnell Jinkins Blake

July 19, 1920 - October 8, 2019