Don Jennings Obituary

Don Roy Jennings, 88, died February 12, 2026 under hospice care at his home in Hendersonville, NC, from complications of advanced Parkinson's disease. He was born in Wellsville, NY, 9/22/1937, the youngest of three sons of Uel Porter Jennings and Ruby McConnell Jennings. As a child, his family also lived in St. Louis, MO, Bremerton, WA, Mantua, NJ, and Wilmington, DE, where Don graduated from P. S. DuPont High School and was an Eagle Scout. He attended New Mexico State University, earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1959, received a Masters in Machine Design from Cornell University in 1961, and returned to New Mexico State to complete his Sc.D. in Fluid Mechanics in 1965.

His formal education complete, Don went to work for DuPont in Wilmington, DE. In 1969, he and family moved to Hendersonville, NC, to work at DuPont's Brevard Plant. He called himself a doctor of machines, and friends and colleagues called him "Dr. J". He retired from DuPont as a Senior Process Fellow when the plant was sold in 1998, then continued to work for Sterling and Agfa in the same position for several years.

Don married Karol Kimsey in 1959 and they had three sons prior to their divorce. In 1988 he married Nancy "Nan" Tucker Voorhees, who also had three children, and they began a life of shared interest in extensive travel on three continents, fine wine and food, and keeping up with the exploits of their children's lives.

Don spent many years lovingly caring for his father, Uel, who died in Hendersonville at 98 years old in 2012. His parents had lived in the prairie of northern Colorado during the depression, and he used his mother's diary from that period to share stories of their lives in the dustbowl. He published a book about his grandmother's journey alone at 19 from Sweden to the United States to start a new life. He loved family history and research, everything about Zeppelins, science fiction, woodworking, and was an early adopter of technology, especially Apple computers and devices. Those who knew him will remember his analytical mind, dry humor, and deep love of family and its history.

He is survived by his beloved family: wife of 37 years, Nan Tucker Jennings, his three sons, Don R. Jennings, Jr. and wife, Anni Clinger Jennings of Hendersonville, NC, Kevin L. Jennings and wife, Sydney Brown of Shelby, NC, Darin L. Jennings and wife, Jayne White Jennings of Hendersonville, NC; stepchildren, D. Tucker Voorhees and wife, Elizabeth Grizzle Voorhees of Los Angeles, CA, Elizabeth Voorhees Becker and husband, James Becker of Asheville, NC, Catherine Voorhees Wood and husband, Jeremy Wood, of Swannanoa, NC, and five amazing grandchildren, Garrett Jennings, Noah Jennings, Ella Brown, Seamus Becker, and Grayson Wood; brother Garry Jennings, and nephews Donald Jennings and Keith Jennings.

The family will hold a private celebration of life in the spring. Donations in his memory may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Four Seasons Hospice Foundation, by clicking the link or donate to the charity of your choice.