Carol Palmer

Carol Ainscough Jensen Palmer passed peacefully on February 20, 2025. Carol was a beloved sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.
Born September 13, 1934, in Preston Idaho, Carol was the sixth child born to Charles Owen and Margurite Ainscough. She graduated from Preston High School in 1953 and briefly attended Brigham Young University while still in her senior year at high school. During her high school years Carol was set up on a blind date by her close friend, Emma Lou Stokes and Emma Lou's boyfriend, LaVar Palmer. It was on this fateful date that Carol met Robert B Jensen of West Jordan, Utah.
In short order Carol and Robert (Bob) fell in love and were married on June 12, 1953, at the Salt Lake City Temple. Bob was on leave between basic training and being sent to Korea at the time of their marriage, so the young couple had little time together. During Bob's deployment Carol lived in Colorado with her eldest sister, Marilyn Ainscough Johnson and worked for AT&T. After Bob's return from active duty, they reunited in Ft Lewis Washington for the remainder of Bob's military service. Upon release from the Army, they returned to West Jordan Utah and ran the family dairy farm with Bob's parents. Together they raised five children and eventually took over the dairy.
Carol was a busy mother and homemaker. A consummate planner, organizer and frugal household manager and she held a variety of positions in their church wards from Primary teacher to Relief Society President. Carol also assisted with harvesting hay and corn and occasionally feeding new calves. Managing a household on a tight budget Carol sewed clothes for her children, bottled fruit, and jam of many varieties. The aroma of fresh baked cookies, bread, pies, cakes, and assorted pastries wafted through the home nearly every Saturday. As Carol's daughters got older, she passed on to her talents for sewing, cooking, and baking as a leader in local 4-H clubs.
Due to residential expansion in the south end of the Salt Lake valley Carol and Bob relocated in 1977 to Heyburn Idaho where they continued in the dairy industry with their sons until Bob's sudden death in 1987. Carol and her sons continued with the farm until they jointly decided that it was time to sell due to economic pressures.
Carol eventually relocated to Midvale Utah and continued to be an active member of her ward community and spending time with her many grandchildren. She also enjoyed traveling to the Holy Land, Europe, several parts of the US and Canada, and reconnecting with friends from her high school years. It was during this time that Carol and her friends Emma Lou (Stokes) and LaVar Palmer again connected but Carol would shortly lose her friend Emma Lou to illness. In the time following her friend's death, Carol and LaVar developed a deep friendship and a shared desire to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Carol and LaVar were married in August 1997 and during their nineteen years together served three missions. First in Perth Australia with the church education system teaching institute to high school and college aged members of the church. After a brief break they followed up with a second mission served on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. While there, they met missionaries from around the world and were especially drawn to the sister missionaries from Mongolia. It was not long after completing their service on Temple Square that they again submitted a mission application specifically requesting to serve in Mongolia and off they went. Mission service filled both their desire to see parts of the world that they would never have imagined traveling to and serving the Lord. Between missions they made their home in Idaho Falls Idaho until LaVar's passing in 2017.
She was preceded in death by her parents Marguerite Ainscough and Charles Ainscough, brothers Owen Ainscough and Norman Gene Ainscough, sisters Marilyn Johnson and AnnaLou Woodruff, husband Robert B Jensen, son Daniel A Jensen, granddaughter Andrea (Jensen) Hall, son in law John Golesh. She is survived by her sisters Joan Anderson and Maxine Milne, brother Douglas Ainscough, four children: Scott R Jensen (Anita), Sharlet Golesh (John), Shelley Locke (Bob), Sarah Jensen, thirteen grandchildren and twenty great grandchildren.
The family would like to extend their gratitude to the many caregivers at Valencia Assisted Living facility of Draper Utah and Renew Hospice Care for creating a safe and loving environment during her final years.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, February 26 at 1 pm, Larkin Mortuary, 3688 West 12600 South, Riverton Utah followed by a graveside service at 3 pm at West Jordan Cemetery.
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