Jensen, Richard Alfred

Richard Alfred Jensen died peacefully with his family surrounding him on Tuesday, June 19, 2012. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 23, at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Iowa City. Burial to follow at Oak Hill Cemetery in Coralville, where military honors will be provided by many of Richard's comrades of the various military organizations of this area. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the church, where a Knights of Columbus rosary will be said at 4 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Richard's memory to Iowa City Hospice, St. Wenceslaus Church or the Coralville American Legion Honor Guard.

Richard's family includes his wife, Marilyn; five children, Jeff Jensen (Aggie Rochwick) of Riverside, Cynthia (Tom) Gillham of Iowa City, Clayton Jensen of Iowa City, Jon (Kasey) Jensen of Orlando, Fla., and Jennifer (Tim) Tiemens of Plymouth, Minn.; grandchildren, Tiffany Jensen (James Bouie), Heather (TJ) Butler, Zachary (Aldijana Ganibegovic), Victoria and Veronika Gillham; Jonathan, Jayson and Jackson Jensen; Nick, Ben and Dan Tiemens; great-grandchildren, Dejayla Bouie and Jensen Butler; sister, Betty Kemp; sisters-in - law, Mary Lou Jensen, Barb Jensen, Betty Sedlacek and Pat (Don) Pirkl; stepbrother and stepsisters-in-law, Richard Wieneke, Laurine Fischer and Darlene Mottet; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Richard was preceded in death by his parents, Alfred and Helen Jensen; sisters, Mary Jensen and Marilyn Butterbaugh; brother, Ken Jensen; daughter-in-law, Mary Jensen; and brothers-in-law, Ken “Andy” Butterbaugh, Omer Kemp and Don Sedlacek.

Richard was born Nov. 7, 1931, to Alfred and Helen (Vrana) Jensen in Iowa City. He moved to Coralville in 1934. Richard attended Coralville Grade School. He graduated from University High School in 1950. He worked for the University of Iowa for 32 years, starting at the Physical Plant and later in Energy Management. After his retirement in 1993, he worked for the City of Coralville Parks Department.

Richard married Marilyn Kabela on Aug. 20, 1955, at St. Wenceslaus Church in Iowa City. Richard served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1952-1954, during the Korean War, and was also present at the Cease Fire of the Korean conflict.

As a member of the National Guard, Richard stood guard at the opening of the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital here in Iowa City. Richard has been a member of the Coralville American Legion Walter Johnson, Post 721, where he performed over 850 military funerals for Johnson County veterans, an honor he took very seriously!

He was a 4-H leader and served on the Coralville Planning and Zoning Commission; involved with the Free Lunch Program; and provided musical entertainment at care centers. He was a lifetime member of both the Moose, where he was on the Degree Staff, and also the Eagles Lodge. He was a member of Knights of Columbus, REAC Club, Iowa City Hospice Singers, Iowa Accordion Club, Lasso-E Camping Club, and Cedar Valley Detachment Marine Corps League. He received numerous awards, including Will J. Hayek Award 2008, The Heritage Agency Outstanding Senior Volunteer of Johnson County 2012, and 4-H Leader Veterans Award.

Richard was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and uncle.

He loved playing guitar, dancing, music, camping, gardening, mushroom hunting - the simple pleasures of life. He loved the Hawkeyes and was a season football ticket holder for 50 years. And a side note, Richard built both of their homes.

A special thank you to the loving and caring staff at Iowa City Hospice and the Iowa City Care Center.

Published June 21, 2012 in The Gazette