James Jensen

1942 - 2024

James Wesley Jensen

1942 - 2024

South Jordan, UT - James Wesley Jensen, age 81, passed away in South Jordan, Utah on Friday, November 1, 2024 due to complications from heart disease and dementia.

Jim was born the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 27, 1942 in Salt Lake City to Raymond and Faun Jensen. He was the second of three children and grew up on Indiana Avenue on the west side of Salt Lake City. Jim graduated from West High in 1961. Even in his later years he could still sing the West High fight song. Jim served a two-and-a-half-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Oslo, Norway from 1963-66 and then he joined the Army and Army National Guard. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1972 and later became a chaplain in the Civil Air Patrol. He worked for the State of Utah as an investigator in the Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division. Jim was the recipient of many awards and certificates.

In 1967 he married Connie Bailey (later divorced) and had four children: Derek, Cory, Thayne and Nicole. In 1995, Jim married Dianne Thomas in the Salt Lake Temple.

Jim lived most of his entire life in the Salt Lake Valley, but he had travelled throughout the United States and the world, including Japan, Mexico, Brazil and most of Europe. His last big vacation was to Eastern Europe in 2018.

Jim had a sense of humor, a thirst for knowledge, a compassionate heart and an unwavering testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even dementia could not erase his testimony of Jesus Christ, which he frequently shared while in Memory Care. In early 2024, his disease had progressed to the point where he was mostly non-verbal. However, when the bishop came to interview him for what would be his last temple recommend, he "perked up" and answered all the questions. During his life, he had many church callings that spanned from librarian to high councilman, and also served several inner-city missions and ESL missions with his wife, Dianne.

Jim was a "jack of all trades" and had many interests, talents and hobbies, including: fly-fishing, ice-fishing, piano-tuning, pen-making, journaling, bee-keeping, family history work and reading novels. He was also a good marksman and for a time, enjoyed hunting. Nearly every Christmas, Jim made for the family a Norwegian dessert called "Riskrem" or "rice cream" which is a sweet, rice-pudding topped with cherries and has one "lucky almond" hidden in the mixture. He would also give the Christmas dinner prayer in Norwegian. He was proud of his Norwegian heritage and loved his family.

Jim was a constant source of unconditional love, compassion, comfort and knowledge to his children (and others) as they consulted with him over the years. Jim was always there to help and he would see it through until a solution was found.

Jim is survived by his wife of 29 years, Dianne Jensen of South Jordan, Utah; his children, Derek (Lisa) Jensen of Sumner, Washington, Cory (Dean Bennett) Jensen of Schenectady, New York, Thayne (Nanette) Jensen of Meridian, Idaho and Nicole (Spencer) Waite of Columbia City, Oregon; his step-daughter Brittany (Que) Mangus of Provo, Utah; his brother George (Angela) Jensen of Weatherford, Texas and sister Kathy (Lane) Rudelich of Sandy, Utah; his 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved dog, Stevie.

The Jensen family would like to thank the Memory Care team at the Beehive Home of South Jordan, specifically Katrina Dawes and Rebecca Gillett.

A viewing will be held Saturday, November 9, 2024 beginning at 9:30 AM in the Relief Society Room at the River 2nd Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1540 W. South Jordan Parkway, South Jordan, Utah. Immediately following the viewing, funeral services will begin at 11:00 AM, held at the River 2nd Ward chapel. Interment will follow, at the nearby South Jordan Cemetery.

God be with you 'till we meet again.