Betty Jane Jensen

She is preceded in death by her husband, Ivar T. Jensen; daughter, Kathryn J. Lyons; son, Ivar E. Jensen; granddaughter, Tammy Lyons Glasser; brothers, Eugene Pipher and Louie Pipher and parents Harry O. and Astrid Pipher. She is survived by her son, Sumner Jensen (Linda); daughter, Kristina Roberts (John), son-in-law, Steve Lyons; grandchildren Scott Roberts, Jason Roberts (Olivia), Shaun Jensen (Julie), Garth Jensen (Emily), Lance Lyons and Cole Jensen and great grandchildren Rhianna Owings (Jeff), Katy Ann Glasser, Akasha Lyons, Taylor Roberts and Abigail Roberts and great-great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

She was a member of Reformation Evangelical Lutheran Church, Orlando, and was homebound the last few years. She enjoyed the many visits to her home from church members and Pastor Rob and special friends.

She grew up in upstate New York on a dairy farm in her early years during the Depression then moved with her father after her mother’s death from the farm to Binghamton, NY. She graduated high school at age 16 and had to wait out a year to attend Nursing school in Nashville, Tennessee due to her age. She met her future husband, Ivar Jensen, and they married in 1946 and moved to Florida and built their home in Orlando on Lake Jessamine raising 4 children there. Their home was the site for many family gatherings on holidays with aunts, uncles and cousins and where she would live out the rest of her life. She was a partner in the family business, Jensen’s Custom Furniture and Upholstery, in downtown Orlando with her husband and brother-in-law, Edgar, and worked with decorators in Orlando for several years. She did some traveling out West and to Alaska to visit family.

In her later years she enjoyed reading, sitting on the dock watching the water birds and feeding the turtles and fish, engaging you to join her and sitting under the umbrella on the back patio watching the birds and enjoying the day. She always enjoyed family gatherings on special occasions and visits anytime. She was nonjudgmental and accepting of all to a fault and was soft with her words giving sage advice whenever asked and for these special qualities always had a loyal following. She loved her family and we loved her.

In lieu of flowers, the Jensen Family invites you to make a donation in her name to Reformation Evangelical Lutheran Church, Orlando.