In Memory: Darrell Jenkins
By . Posted on in People Behind the Pumps
This summer, we lost a long-time Gusher employee, Darrell Jenkins. While Darrell had retired the previous year, he left a lasting impact on Gusher and its people during his 40 years with the company.
To our family company, Darrell was more than an employee; he was a mentor and friend. He joined the company as a draftsman, and his diligence and hard work led to more senior roles in product engineering, assembly, quality control and pump testing.
Beyond his skill as an engineer, Darrell was most widely known for his mentorship. “He was never at a loss for words and seemed to know a little about everything,” said Lori Knarr, who worked with Darrell in engineering for over 25 years. “If anyone had a question, on the rare occasions he didn’t know the answer, he’d research until he came up with one.”
In the later part of his Gusher career, Darrell was instrumental in founding our Shanghai, China office. He spent 12 years living and working in China to establish the Gusher brand, train staff and grow Gusher’s customer base.
Shanghai GM Zhang Mo (Flomo) credits Darrell with teaching him everything he needed to know about pumps. “Darrell is more of my family than a workmate, or a boss, or a teacher or a friend,” he said. “Part of me died when he passed away. He was a surrogate father to me during my young adulthood.”
Darrell’s legacy will live on in everyone whose life he touched at Gusher. As Lori noted, “He was definitely one of a kind and will be missed.”
Visit the family’s Tribute Page.