Michael P. Jennings Service Information

Michael P. Jennings, 81, of Holland, PA passed away Friday, July 29, 2022.

He was the beloved husband of Constance M. (Becker) Jennings and father to Michael P. Jennings, Jr, Lawrence Jennings, and Kerri Lynn Jennings.

Born September 14, 1940 in the Bronx, NY, he was a son of the late Thomas and Anna (Gilmartin) Jennings, both immigrants from Ireland. Michael (Mike), like so many 1st generation Americans, started working young. As early as 8 years old, he had a job working for an Italian Butcher in the Bronx making deliveries in the neighborhood. As a teenager, he worked at the local A&P following in his father Tom Jennings’ footsteps. He was always watching, always aware of the many activities happening around him in these early jobs. He also watched is father Tom operate several entrepreneurial endeavors, including the Eire Tavern on Tremont Avenue in the Bronx.

Mike developed a drive to succeed and quickly learned the importance of hard work, networking within his community and prioritizing his success for the benefit of himself and the one thing he aways wanted to build: his Family. According to Mike, the most important choice, and  best decision, he ever made was choosing his partner in life, Constance Becker (Connie). After meeting for the first time at a mutual friend’s sweet 16 party in the Bronx (where Mike swept her away from her date), Mike and Connie started dating. Between many nights dancing and babysitting their siblings’ children, Mike introduced Connie to pizza, Pepsi and egg-creams; while Connie got Mike hooked on her tollhouse cookies, cheese spaghetti and cakes. It was the beginnings of what would become a 60-year marriage.

Having found his partner, Mike immediately turned his attention to pursuing a career in sales, leveraging the strengths and knowledge he had gained in seemingly mundane jobs during his youth. Michael’s focus on networking and maintaining a rolodex of key decision makers in New York City earned him an opportunity with the Johnson and Johnson family of companies through his brother John Jennings. Michael grew that opportunity into a career spanning 30 years including roles at the Personal Products Company, McNeil, Advanced Care Products and finally his role as Vice President of Sales and member of the board for Advanced Care/Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation. Notable among his many achievements: Launching Tylenol and being named District Manager of the Year, having grown the division from $40 million to $400 millions in 3 years. Being on the team that addressed and successfully navigated the Tylenol cyanide crisis, which became one of the greatest success stories in pharmaceutical /business history and led to the development of the gelcap. Launching Monistat 7, the most successful RX to OTC conversion to date, achieving record distribution from $40 million to $300 million in sales.

In his own words, the many accolades he received over his career were the culmination of his true passion: Building teams and training them how to sell and how to excel. He was laser focused on identifying talented men and women and providing the training and guidance they needed to succeed, having mentored two Vice Presidents of Sales, and two National Sales Mangers, thus leaving his work in the best of hands upon retirement. As satisfying as these accomplishments were, they never distracted him from what he called his best partnership and most successful team: His Marriage to Connie - who supported, cared for and partnered with him on the family he held so dearly. Among his best family memories are summers boating in Maryland, inspiring trips to Yosemite National Park, multiple trips to Hawaii, and years of train collecting and magical winters sledding with his young children.

Along with his wife, Constance, Michael is survived by two children, Lawrence Jennings (fianceé Lara Anton) of Harleysville and Kerri Lynn Jennings (partner Kevin Cabral) of Los Angeles, CA; three grandchildren, Zachary, Keeley, and Samantha; three siblings, Anne O’Keefe, Virginia Lee, and Barbara Conlin; and many nieces and nephews.

Michael was preceded in death by a son, Michael P. Jennings, Jr, in 2019; and three siblings, Thomas Jennings, John Jennings, and Mary (Jennings) McGoldrick.

As a long-standing New Yorker at heart, contributions in Michael’s name can be made to Tunnel to Towers  https://t2t.org

“Those we love don’t go away. They walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always

near; Still loved, still missed and very dear. Death leaves a heartache no one can heal,

Love leaves a memory no one can steal.”

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