Some famous and influential people have been proud to count Bob as their friend.  
Years ago I told Bob that I would be in Chicago for a medical meeting.  He said:  "Great, there is a restaurant that just opened that Carol and I would like to take you to.  It takes months to get reservations, but I have an inside contact and I think that I can get us in."  We went to what was then Ditka's Chop House (now just Ditka's).  I never gave thought as to who Bob's inside contact might have been.  Then, years later Bob was telling me about when he pitched in a series of All Star baseball games at Wrigley Field.  He casually mentioned that his catcher and new found friend was Mike Ditka.  
A few years ago, Bob and I were talking about our coastal brown bear experiences in Alaska.  Bob said:  "Jimmy John was at the house last week and showed me photos of his Kodiak Island bear hunt."  Turns out  Jimmy John's father, James Liautaud, was best man at Carol and Bob's wedding and Bob was the God Father of Jimmy John's sister.
No doubt Bob's most treasured relationships were those he had with Carol, Erick, Keith and the grandchildren.    My heart goes out to them in this time of sadness.  My God give you comfort and  peace!

My dad was simply the best father one could have.   So many memories.  Ultimately, though, he believed in me.   He was genuine and believed I could do anything.  Not in a fake way, but by showing me how I could make my dreams come true.   When I started playing baseball in Little League, I was truly horrible.  I could not hit, catch, or throw.  The classic right fielder.   I wanted to get better and he showed me how.  We would go to batting cages all around Aurora.  He would hit buckets of fly balls with me standing in the outfield for hours.   I soaked it all in and loved it.  I eventually became a decent baseball player after several years of this.  He did this with love layered on honesty and hard work.  There is a tremendous void in my heart.   I miss him very much.  Picture below is one of many fishing trips we enjoyed together.

I was honored to  serve with Dr. Jensen at Ft. Carson, CO in the mid1960s.  Bob and I became great friends, fishing all summer and skiing all winter during that two year tour of Army active duty.  Our friendship was then to span 56 rich years, with exotic fishing trips liberally sprinkled in.  Bob was a highly skilled dentist and the greatest friend a person could have.  He rose from a tough neighborhood on the south side of Chicago to become one of the top dentists in Illinois.  His parish Priest was astonished at his accomplishments, I was not.  Taking advantage of his God given talents, working hard, supported by an amazing wife and expressing the loving and generous spirit he was blessed with, how could he have not succeeded in this nation of great opportunity?  

Dad took me to watch da Bears play against the Saints.  It was the game Walter Payton broke Jim Brown’s rushing record.  I’ll never forget it.  It was a great father/son moment. 

OBITUARY

Robert R. Jensen

September 10, 1940 – January 20, 2021

Palm Boulder Highway Mortuary & Cemetery

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