Gail Jensen

Gail Aparton Jensen passed away while being surrounded by the love of her family, husband Howard, daughters Laura and Susan, son-in-laws Kyle and Rob, grandchildren Kaden, Jensen and Justine. Born in New York City to Larry and Sally Aparton, Gail moved to San Francisco, Ca in 1942 with her brothers Jerry and Gary and sister Lynda. After graduating from Mission High School in San Francisco in 1955, Gail moved to Cupertino where she attended SJSU and got a B.A. in Social Studies in 1959. She went on to get a teaching credential in 1960 and started teaching Social Studies and P.E. in the Fremont Union High School District in the fall of 1960. For the next 25 years, Gail worked as a teacher at Cupertino and Lynbrook High Schools where she was a Department Lead, a class advisor, a coach, a club advisor and a curriculum leader. In 1985 Gail moved into administration and worked as an Asst. Principal at Cupertino, Lynbrook and Homestead High Schools until her retirement in 2000. As an educator, Gail's students knew she was demanding, but they also knew that she believed in them and would do just about anything to help them find success. As a colleague, Gail's fellow educators looked to her as a mentor, a coach, a cheerleader and a source of knowledge. Gail was all about family. She met the love of her life Howard in a SJSU summer school class in 1963. They went on to get married in 1964 and recently celebrated 59 years of marriage. Gail would be the first to tell you that her pride and joy are her two daughters, Laura and Susan and her three grandchildren Jensen, Kaden and Justine.. Gail loved family gatherings when she would see all her siblings, Jerry, Gary, Lynda, in-laws Joe, Karen, and Susie, as well as her nieces and nephews, Craig, Joelle, Wendy, Tracie, Bruce, Candace, and Tori. Nothing brought her greater joy than hearing about family and seeing pictures of all their life events.Gail loved to travel and year after year she went with her husband and best friend Barbara to Ashland and on Tauck Tours around the world. Her favorite trip took her to Egypt where she was able to ride a camel and see first hand artifacts she had taught about for many years in the classroom. In her later years, Gail enjoyed volunteer service with Quota of Cupertino and supporting organizations like the American Heart Association and Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Her contagious smile and beautiful laugh will be missed by those who knew her and loved her. The end of her life was not an easy one, but through all the trials she continued to battle and ultimately left this earth on her own terms. After her passing, her family found a note that Gail had recently written reminding them of her life philosophy: "Sometimes you'll never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory."In lieu of flowers send donations to Gail's favorite charity Quota of Cupertino, P.O. Box 2957 Cupertino, CA 95015-2957.