Family Profile: Cecil & Leona Jennings
their Story
I don’t think there is a single woman on Earth that loved her husband more than Leona Glayds Zerbe Jennings. From the tender age of 14 to her final days at age 88, she was hopelessly devoted to him.
Leona Gladys Zerbe
Was born on July 4th, 1898 in Kokomo, Indiana to parents William Henry Zerbe and Lillian Lucrecia Miller. She married Cecil Jennings when she was just 14 years old. The two of them had 5 children together, 4 sons and one still born daughter, Ruth Ann (1920). She was a member of the Andrews United Methodist Church and enjoyed caring for her children and grandchildren. She was known as “grandma baked beans” to me growning up because according to my mom, baked beans (and beef and noodles) were always on the menu. Family was always very important to her and she keept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings she collected of life events and dates of all members of her family. When her husband passed in 1964, she was devastated and heartbroken. She turned to art and poetry to pass the 27 years she lived without him. She would walk down the road the Andrews Riverside Cemetary to visit his grave every single day. She was a wonderfully devoted wife, mother, grandmother and her legacy lives on through her many children and grandchildren.
Cecil Ray Jennings
Was born on March 21st, 1892 in Andrews, Indiana to parents Gilbert Jennings and Sara Miles. He was raised on the Jennings family homestead with his many siblings. At age 21, he was a handsome and eligible bachelor and the moment Leona set her eyes on him, she said to her girlfriend “I’m going to marry that man”. And she did! By 1920, they had 3 young children and he was employed as a farm laborer. By 1930, their fourth son was born and Cecil was working as a machine opperator at the Kitchen Made Factory in Andrews. He opperated a saw mill cutting the lumber used to make kitchen cabinets. During his time there, he had an accident with the saw and lost a his thumb and two fingers on his right hand. In 1964, Cecil’s health took a turn. He suffered a heart attack in July and never fully regained his strength. He was admitted to the hospital a second time on October 12th, he passed away on October 23rd at age of 72.
The Places they called home
Additional Links
From family photos and copies of Leona's poetry to recent videos of her grandchildren sharing their fond memories, please check out the following for more insights into the lives of this beautiful family.