Our dad peacefully passed away in the morning hours of January 11, 2026. His battle with cancer was well fought, facing adversity with his classic strength and dignity. Improvise, Adapt and Overcome was his motto, a skill set learned at a very young age. He leaned on those words as he faced each and every challenge in his life. He eventually overcame this life for the next. A treasured reunion with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. A faithful catholic he was, and I'm sure the Lord was pleased with his good and faithful son. He will be met in Heaven by our beautiful mom, loving oldest brother, Mike, and his beloved granddaughter, Willow.
His journey started March 8, 1939, in Denver, Co. He was the middle child of three. His family eventually moved to the small town of Sidney, Ne for better opportunity. His parents, through no fault of their own were unable to provide for their family. They eventually released custody to the courts.
Our father's sixth grade teacher saw promise in him. He was highly intelligent but just needed the stability of a good home. They opened their hearts and home to our dad. They had a young family of their own, but they took a leap of faith and adopted our dad. John and Jo Jensen changed the trajectory of his life.
With this move to the Jensen family, he met a beautiful young neighbor named Barbara Ann Gray. As my mom always stated, she had an instant crush on this new boy in the neighborhood. Although they went to different high schools, they started dating. As they graduated, my mom went on to college, and my dad joined the Marine Corps in 1958.
The Marine Corps filled such a place of pride in our dad's heart. He landed in Camp Pendelton, San Diego, Ca for bootcamp and thought Ca was the most beautiful place on earth. His service took him across the South Pacific. He got to experience the world! The lessons he learned from the USMC prepared him for the coming adversity life would bring. He never backed down from a challenge or retreat in fear. He faced all adversity head on and was so inspiring to all of us.
Upon coming back from the Marine Corps, he was able to utilize the GI bill to finance college. Although he wanted to be a Marine Corps pilot and had the skill set, in honor of his adoptive parents he chose the teaching profession. He went on to college and quickly started his profession- elementary school teacher. He taught a couple years in Nebraska and went on to teach another 36 years at Scott Lane Elementary in Santa Clara.
He married our mom May 29, 1961. They decided to head West with three kids in tow and settled in Los Gatos, Ca. They went on to have two more kids. With the prospect of owning a home in a great neighborhood, my dad knew that a teacher's salary wouldn't cut it. Once again, he found a way to improvise, adapt and overcome. He took a night crew position at Safeway on Stevens Creek. He worked tirelessly to provide for his young family. Working two jobs, teacher by day, stock crew at night. Through all the work and chaos, he still managed to get us to church on Sundays, beach weekends at Natural Bridges, excursions to the museums, air shows, trips to the zoo, whale watching in Monterey, and coaching the Little League. It was an impossible amount that my dad was able to do and provide for his family. No task was impossible in his eyes. He was a teacher in the truest sense of the world. He was so versed in every subject, religion, politics, science, nature, literature, sports, history, the cosmos. He was innately curious and well versed in just about everything. We always had such respect for his intellect.
Our dad was the most incredible father. He was fiercely loyal to his family and there was nothing he wouldn't do to help his kids. He provided so much and asked for nothing in return. He taught us how to love unconditionally, to show forgiveness when we sometimes don't want to. He always had such joy in sharing a moment, watching a game or movie together. It was always about connection to family. Our mutual love of animals was a great passion. For as long as I can remember, we had a house filled with dogs, cats, birds. There wasn't a stray cat or dog in the valley that didn't somehow find its way into our home. He could never say no to a pet. The big strong Marine would be the first to shed tears of either joy or sorrow with all the furry and feathered friends that passed through our doors. Thank you, dad, for always guiding this ship we call family, seeing us through turbulent times and sharing in joy when seas are calm. You set the bar high dad, and we are forever grateful that you were our father!
His journey started March 8, 1939, in Denver, Co. He was the middle child of three. His family eventually moved to the small town of Sidney, Ne for better opportunity. His parents, through no fault of their own were unable to provide for their family. They eventually released custody to the courts.
Our father's sixth grade teacher saw promise in him. He was highly intelligent but just needed the stability of a good home. They opened their hearts and home to our dad. They had a young family of their own, but they took a leap of faith and adopted our dad. John and Jo Jensen changed the trajectory of his life.
With this move to the Jensen family, he met a beautiful young neighbor named Barbara Ann Gray. As my mom always stated, she had an instant crush on this new boy in the neighborhood. Although they went to different high schools, they started dating. As they graduated, my mom went on to college, and my dad joined the Marine Corps in 1958.
The Marine Corps filled such a place of pride in our dad's heart. He landed in Camp Pendelton, San Diego, Ca for bootcamp and thought Ca was the most beautiful place on earth. His service took him across the South Pacific. He got to experience the world! The lessons he learned from the USMC prepared him for the coming adversity life would bring. He never backed down from a challenge or retreat in fear. He faced all adversity head on and was so inspiring to all of us.
Upon coming back from the Marine Corps, he was able to utilize the GI bill to finance college. Although he wanted to be a Marine Corps pilot and had the skill set, in honor of his adoptive parents he chose the teaching profession. He went on to college and quickly started his profession- elementary school teacher. He taught a couple years in Nebraska and went on to teach another 36 years at Scott Lane Elementary in Santa Clara.
He married our mom May 29, 1961. They decided to head West with three kids in tow and settled in Los Gatos, Ca. They went on to have two more kids. With the prospect of owning a home in a great neighborhood, my dad knew that a teacher's salary wouldn't cut it. Once again, he found a way to improvise, adapt and overcome. He took a night crew position at Safeway on Stevens Creek. He worked tirelessly to provide for his young family. Working two jobs, teacher by day, stock crew at night. Through all the work and chaos, he still managed to get us to church on Sundays, beach weekends at Natural Bridges, excursions to the museums, air shows, trips to the zoo, whale watching in Monterey, and coaching the Little League. It was an impossible amount that my dad was able to do and provide for his family. No task was impossible in his eyes. He was a teacher in the truest sense of the world. He was so versed in every subject, religion, politics, science, nature, literature, sports, history, the cosmos. He was innately curious and well versed in just about everything. We always had such respect for his intellect.
Our dad was the most incredible father. He was fiercely loyal to his family and there was nothing he wouldn't do to help his kids. He provided so much and asked for nothing in return. He taught us how to love unconditionally, to show forgiveness when we sometimes don't want to. He always had such joy in sharing a moment, watching a game or movie together. It was always about connection to family. Our mutual love of animals was a great passion. For as long as I can remember, we had a house filled with dogs, cats, birds. There wasn't a stray cat or dog in the valley that didn't somehow find its way into our home. He could never say no to a pet. The big strong Marine would be the first to shed tears of either joy or sorrow with all the furry and feathered friends that passed through our doors. Thank you, dad, for always guiding this ship we call family, seeing us through turbulent times and sharing in joy when seas are calm. You set the bar high dad, and we are forever grateful that you were our father!
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