Richard D. Jensen's Obituary
Richard D. Jensen, 82, of Germantown, TN was born In Parker, South Dakota on June 17, 1932 and passed away June 9, 2015. He was an eternal optimist and a “contingency planner” as a result of his years with Dupont. He loved and took great pride in his family and then of his expanded family. He initially saw to the education of his three children through undergraduate school and then encouraged them through graduate school in their chosen professions of psychology (PhD), law (JD), and health, wellness, and dietetics (Masters). He loved family gatherings, traveling, his church (initially United Methodist where he taught adult Sunday school and then the Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit), reading, computers, history, gadgets, photography (see http://dicksphotos.smugmug.com/), and volunteering. He graduated high school in Mason City, Iowa second in his class and from Iowa State University in 1954 at the top of his General Engineering class. At Iowa State he was Drum Major of the marching band, president of his fraternity, member of several honoraries, and was tapped for the Cardinal Key in his junior year. He worked for E.I. DuPont for forty-one years at three plant locations in Employee and Labor Relations, Mechanical, Organizational Development, Operations, and Construction Manager Positions, retiring in 1995. During his last ten years he led modernization in plant maintenance practices and in organizational effectiveness (employee involvement) in the plant and within the company. After retirement he was active in and secretary of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) counseling small business, the Knights of Columbus, church photographer, church Tribunal, and a St. Jude Eucharistic Lay Minister volunteer. After the breakup of his first marriage in 1994, he met and married Margaret (Peggy) Ellen Kjellin and was adopted by her three sons and their families. He and Peggy traveled extensively in the USA and Overseas. His parents Harry Raymond and Lucille Rutherford Jensen preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife, Margaret Kjellin Jensen; his former wife Lois Walk Jensen; two daughters, Lori Ann Jensen/O’Shea of Lake Barrington, IL and Elizabeth Anne Smith of Memphis; his son David Michael Jensen of Germantown; and by his five grandchildren Kyle and Kathleen O’Shea; Elizabeth and Braden Jensen, and Shannon Smith and seven step- grandchildren, Kallen Kjellin, David Kjellin, Chloe Kjellin, Madison Kjellin, Caitlin Kjellin, Avery Kjellin, and Bryce Varner. Visitation will be Saturday, June 13 from 9:00-10:00 a.m. at the Church of the Holy Spirit with the Funeral Mass to immediately follow at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be held in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials can be sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in his name. . Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis TN 38119, (901) 767-8930, “Behind the Stone Wall.”
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