After 89 years of spirited and productive living, Charlotte Oriela Jenkins passed away peacefully in her Atlanta, GA home on September 27, 2020.

Charlotte was born on October 25, 1930 to the late Andrew Campbell Jenkins and Fannie Sue White Jenkins in Mecklenburg County, NC. After graduating from Catawba College with a double major in English and Sociology, Charlotte relocated to New Orleans, LA to pursue and complete her Masters of Social Work at Tulane University. Her career started when Charlotte accepted a psychiatric social worker position in Tulane's Department of Child Psychiatry; next she worked at Charity Hospital's neuropsychiatric unit. She built a successful private practice in New Orleans, providing casework services in individual, group and family therapy. In 1970, Charlotte left New Orleans for Atlanta, GA to work for the Child Services and Family Counseling department at the Florence Crittenden Home in a very intense senior social worker position. She was promoted several times to administrative positions until retiring after 30 years in her profession.

Always a life-long learner, Charlotte took classes to develop her artistic talents in pottery, stained glass, upholstery, hat making, beading, jewelry making, lapidary and photography. Charlotte described herself as a "perennial sophomore" focusing mainly on her passion for crafts. One of her main joys was gardening and she worked diligently to earn her Master Gardener credentials. After retiring from a successful career in social work, Charlotte started her own flower arranging business called "Charlotte's Petals" and accepted a part-time position as executive floral designer at the Georgia governor's mansion under Joe Frank Harris. Later in life Charlotte became a student of the internet and took classes to learn how to combine her artistic skills with computer skills and she created amazing things!

Her zest for life was matched by her strong values, exceptional intelligence, unrelenting compassion, abundant determination and endless energy. She had close friends from every walk of life that she enjoyed and who loved and adored and enjoyed her right back. Charlotte could be the poster child for "to have a friend you have to be a friend." She will be sorely missed but truly appreciated for making the world a better and more beautiful place.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, October 3rd, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at Mountain Rest Cemetery in Kings Mountain, NC with Nick Danna officiating.

In lieu of flowers, Charlotte requested donations to the "Charlotte O. Jenkins Scholarship Endowed Fund" which will be used for students with financial need in the School of Social Work at Tulane. Donations may be mailed to:

Debbie Marx, Executive Director of Gift Planning

Tulane University, Office of Development

1555 Poydras Street, Suite 1000

New Orleans, LA 70112

GUEST REGISTER AVAILABLE AT WWW.HARRISFUNERALS.COM

ARRANGEMENTS: HARRIS FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATION SERVICES, KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA