Bill Edwin Jensen

Born in Vancouver, BC on September 24, 1964 and paralyzed on his left side, Bill was placed into foster care at 8 days old. His foster mother, Evelyn Rombough, massaged his left side daily and, at 6 months old, he moved his left leg independently for the first time. Bill was adopted by Ivan and Roberta Jensen at age 4 and raised with their two daughters, Patricia and Shelley, in Burnaby. Bill and Evelyn were so attached that she became “Grandma Rombough” to the family.

Bill was a professional long haul truck driver, based in Ontario. Under his handle, “Hillbilly”, he travelled through all of the lower 48 states in his customized tractor, “Trigger”. He achieved million mile status with Concord Transportation (now defunct) and was, at one time, the only Canadian driver authorized to haul for NASA, delivering parts from Canada and within the US to and from Cape Canaveral. Bill became a Christian in 1989 in a truckstop outside of Tulsa, OK. His trucking career ended the next year when his truck slid on an icy road near Sault Ste. Marie, ON, went through the barriers and over a cliff. Bill survived with significant damage to his left knee and forever after swore he knew when it was going to rain.

Bill returned to Vancouver in 1991 for a family wedding and crossed paths with Cheryl McCartney, a high school friend. They maintained a long distance relationship for some months and then he moved back to Vancouver to court her and reconnect with the children from his previous marriage.

Bill and Cheryl were married in Vancouver on August 29, 1992 at Marpole Baptist Church, and were married nearly 34 years.

In the intervening years, Bill continued to overcome whatever life threw at him, including “terminal” liver disease in 1993 and traumatic brain injury in 2023. His final fight with Stage 4 cancer ended before he saw the victory he believed was coming. He fought to the end and never gave up.

Bill is survived by his loving wife, Cheryl, beautiful daughter, Anna (Lee) and wonderful son, Michael, and his four amazing grandsugars - Mathew, Jordan, Jessica and Alexander. He was extremely proud of his family, prayed for them regularly and always put their welfare above his own.

Memorial donations can be made to the BC Cancer Foundation or to Covenant House.