Gloria E. Jensen

Gloria E. JENSEN October 18, 1920 ~ July 22, 2011 Gloria E. Jensen (nee Batt) was born in Marradong, a beautiful sheep station and country town in Western Australia. The fifth of six children, she amassed a menagerie that included Ozzie and Pommie (two orphaned kangaroos), Henry Dick (a lamb who "thought" he was a kangaroo), assorted chickens, and a cockatoo. After attending boarding school in Perth, Gloria was in nurses' training when she met George W. Jensen, a "cheeky" American sailor from Seattle, on a blind date. Unimpressed at first glance, she must have quickly changed her mind because they were married two months later! (When asked about her whirlwind courtship, she said that "time just ran differently during WWII"). Carol Cameron, their only child, completed the family a year later, and all three sailed to the States in October, 1944 on the SS Lurline, an ocean liner used by the Navy to transport troops and their families across the Pacific. Once in Seattle, Gloria worked on First Hill as a nurse while George sailed through the UW's Electrical Engineering program in three years. George joined IBM right out of college, and the couple had a strong, loving, 35-year marriage until his untimely death in 1976. In her fifties, Gloria started a new career at Shoreline Community College as an operator and general factotum, acquiring the unofficial title "the voice of SCC" due to the slightest hint of an Australian accent. She helped raise her two granddaughters, Chrissy and Carrie Cameron, who dubbed her "Meme." She was a steadfast and loving presence in all of our lives. Special thanks to the Golden Age 2 adult home in Edmonds for Meme's exceptional care over the past two years. The staff there were responsible for the constant smile on her face. And thanks to Providence Hospice for providing comfort and assistance during the final week of her life. There will be no service per her wishes.