Loretta Jensen

LORETTA ANNA JENSEN

Cedar Rapids

Loretta Anna Jensen – mother of five, grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of two (and counting) – died on Thursday, March 2, 2017. In passing, Loretta reunites with the love of her life and the father of her children, Ralph Jensen, to enjoy in eternity the beaches of French Morocco as they did on their honeymoon in 1954.

Services are at 11 a.m. Monday at Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories. Entombment: Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery. Friends may call at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Survivors include a daughter, Joan (Gary) Dvorak of Vinton; two sons, Jay (Lynn) of Cedar Rapids and Joel (Lori) of Franklin, Tenn.; and three sisters, Theresa Kelly of Centerville, Marianne (Kenneth) Rayner of New London and Joann (Conrad) Colbert of Albuquerque, N.M. She also is survived by nine grandchildren, Diamond and Dakota Dvorak, Kali (Ryan) Klinghammer, Christopher, Nathan, Nicholas, Anna, Hunter and Wesley Jensen; two great-grandchildren, Brayden and Olivia Klinghammer; sister–in-law, Genevieve Jaeger; and a daughter-in-law, Jamie Jensen.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph; two sons, Jon and James; a brother, Kenneth Jaeger; and a sister, Elizabeth Reed.

Loretta was the comptroller at Cedar Memorial for over 20 years, retiring in 1986, and a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Marion.

Her life leaves an unforgettable testament of resilience and love. Born to Ambrose and Rose Jaeger, Loretta, at the age of 13, grappled with her father's death by running the family farm alongside her brother, Kenneth, in Keota, Iowa. As a young mother, Loretta combined incomes with her husband, Ralph, by working two jobs to send her children to exceptional Catholic schools.

Loretta's tirelessness, combined with the hard work of her husband, paid dividends in her children, who became successful restaurateurs, businessmen, technologists, and – most importantly – parents. Thanks to Loretta's example, her grandchildren are at the forefront of the next generation of young musicians, attorneys, nurses, doctors, entrepreneurs and innovators capable of improving any field they enter.

As a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Loretta Jensen will always be remembered. Her children will celebrate her; her grandchildren will honor her; and history will define her for what she was; the rock that anchored her family's center of gravity.

Memorial donations may be given to the M.D.A.

Please leave a message or tribute to the Jensen family on the web page, www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.