John Raymond Jensen, 95, returned to his heavenly home on May 14, 2018 after passing away in Boise, Idaho. John was born in Logan, Utah on April 19, 1923 to George Henry and Mary Price Jensen. He spent most of his youth in Salt Lake City except for when his family moved to Providence, Utah when he was 6. While there they tended a small berry farm. The family returned to Salt Lake City when he was 10. He attended the McKinley and Whittier Grade Schools, Lincoln Junior High, and South High (where he lettered in track and field). After graduating from high school in 1941 he worked for his brother-in-law as a typewriter repairman in Richfield, Utah. With the advent of World War II, he was inducted into the Army in January of 1943. During his time in the service he severely injured his knee during a training exercise which was challenging to him for the rest of his life. He was in the Army for over 3 years before he was honorably discharged in March of 1946 after World War II came to an end. After serving his country he moved to Ogden, Utah and again worked for his brother-in-law as a typewriter repairman. He met his eternal sweetheart, Beverly Ann Holmes, in the Ogden LDS Ward he attended. They were married in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on June 16, 1948. While he worked, he also went to college in the evenings. He graduated with an associate's degree from Weber Junior College in June 1954 and a bachelor's degree in business education from the University of Utah in August 1956. The next month he moved him and his family to Victorville, California to teach at the Victor Valley High School. After the end of the school year they returned to Ogden. A few years later he continued his teaching career at Roy Jr. High, Wahlquist Jr. High, and Ben Lomond High School. He taught at Ben Lomond for most of the next 25 years. In 1960 he started working on a Master's degree at Utah State University during the summers. He graduated in 1965. He was a lifetime Aggie fan and enjoyed supporting his teams. Between 1968 and 1970 he taught at the Haile Sellasie University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia--an opportunity afforded to him by the University of Utah. During this time he and his family had many choice experiences touring Ethiopia and many other parts of the world. John was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in many callings including Stake Mission President, Bishop, and High Councilor. He and Beverly also served numerous missions for the church including the LDS Employment Center in Ogden (1990), the Atlanta Georgia Temple (1991-1992), and the Employment Center in Auckland, New Zealand (1993-1995). He particularly enjoyed serving in New Zealand since it was where his father was born. He was also a very active "Senior Olympian". He won numerous medals in shot put, discuss, javelin, and free throw shooting. His wife, Beverly, had numerous health challenges throughout her life which gradually became more life threatening. She passed away on March 27, 2000. In December of 2001 he was able to track down a number of people that he knew while stationed in the army in Indianapolis, Indiana. One of those was Donna May Zigler Young who lived in Nampa, Idaho. They made arrangements to meet which was the beginning of a courtship that resulted in their marriage on October 18, 2002 in Nampa, Idaho. He moved into her Nampa home and sold his Ogden home of 50 years. They enjoyed traveling a lot and he continued participating in the senior games in many states around the west. He was an avid golfer but finally had to give it up in his late 80s when his health began to decline. He loved his family and enjoyed having them visit in his new location. He and Donna also visited them when they could. In addition to his 4 children, he has 24 grandchildren and 44 great grandchildren. His great grandchildren refer to him as Grampa Nampa. John was preceded in death by his parents; wife (Beverly); sisters Mary Beth Morgan and Lois Jones; and a brother George Harold "Barty" who died as a toddler. He is survived by his wife (Donna); daughter Jo Anne (Dennis) Keeffer; sons: Dennis (Leslie), Alan (Gail), and Kent (Melanie); and brothers Robert and Kenneth. He will be greatly missed by many but we look forward to being with him again in the next life. Mom (Donna's) tireless care of her husband is truly appreciated by his children and grandchildren. She brought a renewed energy into his life when they reunited after so many years. We also appreciate the loving care provided by many of her grandchildren. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 19 at 11:00 am at the Harrisville Utah chapel located at 1650 North 400 West. A viewing will be held starting at 9:30 am prior to the services. Interment will be at the Liberty Cemetery in Liberty, Utah
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