Caleb "Buck" Brown Jennings, Jr

Spartanburg, SC- Caleb Brown “Buck” Jennings, Jr., 86, husband of recently deceased Pat Jennings, Brentwood Drive, Spartanburg, SC died on Sunday, January 6, 2013. Buck was born in Spartanburg to Caleb Brown Jennings and Vernie Giles Jennings. After graduation from Spartanburg High School Buck attended the Citadel and the University of South Carolina, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity and became an avid Gamecock fan. One evening while visiting Spartanburg’s Beacon Drive-In he met his beloved Pat whom he married; they lived in the house Buck built for 63 years. Buck Jennings owned and operated, with his father, then later with his sons, Kit and Harold, the glass subcontracting business, Jennings Paint and Glass Co. Inc. The signature red glass trucks were seen in several states on the way to glass installations. Next to “Miss Pat” and his family, his love was for engines and boats. Lake Lanier residents had to watch out for that Jennings boy trying to spray their docks with his Chris Craft. On Lake Hartwell’s, Dock 9, he was known as “Mr. Fix It” since he could always be called upon to fix any electrical, plumbing, or engine problem. He loved descending into the We Six cabin cruiser engine box. With a happy whistle and a pencil in his mouth, he would work out any problem. Although he transmitted these skills to his sons, Buck was amused by his sons-in-law who knew nothing about machines, boats or mechanics. A lover of entertaining, through the years he welcomed groups to the lake and coast on the one of the four We Six boats. The Episcopal Church of the Advent was an important part of his life and he always preferred the back row. As his wife Pat became more interested and an integral part of the Advent Watercolor class, Buck was an honorary member, called “Saint Buck.” He helped the class with his picture matting and framing, organizing displays for art shows, and building items for the class including the teaching mirror. The Jennings clan benefitted from Buck’s genius, systematic planning, and fun spirit. From the go cart track in the back yard, to the badminton tournaments, to the pool he maintained for 53 years, the Brentwood Drive neighborhood and the children and grandchildren always knew there was something fun to do at Buck’s house or boat. Often, children who thought they were playing completed work projects such as polishing chrome, spreading fertilizer, or painting fences. He was a wonderful, surreptitious teacher! Buck and Pat’s children, grandchildren and great grandchild are: Patricia Jean Jennings Cornwell (Mike), Jennings Cornwell King (Brennen) and newborn Miller Allen King, Bennette Bowman Cornwell Hopper (Andy); Caleb Brown “Kit” Jennings, III (Pat), Jean Marie Jennings, Laura Patricia Jennings Estevez (Jorge), Caleb Brown Jennings, IV; Mary Ellen Jennings Kiser (Don), Donald Lee Kiser, Jr. (Katie), Mary Patricia Kiser; Harold Lanham Jennings (Marsha), Ellie Giles Jennings, and Katherine Lanham Jennings. The extended McElhenney family of Buck’s sister Mary Ellen McElhenney, daughters Diane and Kim, and their husbands, grandchildren and great-grandchildren complete the family of Vernie and Caleb Jennings. Buck’s sister, Mary Ellen Jennings McElhenney, resides in Spartanburg. A celebration of life will be held at 3:00 p.m. on today, Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at the Episcopal Church of the Advent and will be conducted by the Reverend Ned Morris. A reception will follow the service in the Parish and Community Life Center. Memorials may be made to The Church of the Advent, 141 Advent St., Spartanburg, SC, 29303 and Spartanburg Regional Hospice, 686 Jeff Davis Drive, Spartanburg, SC, 29303.