Todd Jenkins, 41, will be remembered in a celebration of life on April 11 in Williams Lake. Also known as Todd Serious in the music world, he died Saturday, March 7, in a rock climbing accident in Black Velvet Canyon, west of Las Vegas.
Todd and brother Cory, both avid and experienced climbers, were climbing with friends at the canyon at the time of the accident. He and Cory were on separate routes at the time.
The eldest son of Barry and Judy Jenkins was born and raised in Williams Lake. A gifted child, he had difficulty with the constraints of the school system, but he graduated from Columneetza Senior Secondary and went on as an adult to attend Cariboo College in Kamloops and earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of British Columbia. He became a youth worker in Vancouver and also remembered fondly his work with the Williams Lake Boys and Girls Club. He said it was the best job he had ever had.
Todd was passionate about many things, but topping the list of interests, in addition to climbing and mountaineering, was his punk rock band, The Rebel Spell, with which he toured numerous times across Canada, frequently in the United States and twice in Europe.
He was front man and vocalist for the group he founded about 10 years ago in Williams Lake. He took countless hours to write his lyrics with purpose and dedication that proved not only to be effective to his audience in the music scene but also in his personal life. People far and wide valued his opinions and ethics. He put immense time and effort into helping people’s lives on a daily basis as well, treating everyone he encountered without prejudice in hope of changing the world around him. As a political activist, he expressed his strong principals related to animal rights, racism and mistreatment of indigenous people.
He and other band members espoused a vegan lifestyle and a philosophy of doing no harm to living creatures. The rescue of lost, abandoned or mistreated dogs and other animals was important to him and his friends.
Todd and his brothers, Leigh and Cory, were snowboarders, skateboarders, lifeguards, swimming teachers and competitive swimmers with the Blue Fins Swim Club. His most recent aquatic position was as a lifeguard at the Lillooet Rec Centre. With his father, Barry, Todd and his brothers and friends built the biggest skateboard half-pipe north of Kamloops in the family’s backyard.
He is survived by his parents, brothers Cory and Leigh, sister-in-law Cheron Souza, nephew Anthony Jenkins, and Todd’s partner Anna-Raye Douglass, as well as numerous aunts, uncles and cousins in Canada and the U.S.
The celebration of life will be from 1 to 5 p.m. April 11 at Lake City Secondary School - Williams Lake Campus 640 Carson Drive, Williams Lake. Friends and relatives are invited to join the family at that time and share memories.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Rescue and Sanctuary for Threatened Animals (R.A.S.T.A.) or the Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake in Todd’s name.