JENSEN, Albert (Al) Frederick

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona, Sunday, July 28, 2013 Former Prescott resident Albert Frederick Jensen, 93, died July 19, 2013, at Lovelace Hospital in Albuquerque, N.M. Albert (Al) was born on Jan. 4, 1920, in Three Oaks, Mich., the second of six children of parents Sigurd and Edith (Van Keuren) Jensen. On Aug. 23, 1947, he married Elizabeth (Betty) L. Mueller at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, St. Joseph, Mich. Together they raised seven children in the southwest Michigan area. He was self-employed, performing all the various aspects of the building trades. In 1972, he moved his family to Prescott, Ariz. He enrolled in Sacred Heart Parish where he served as a lector and was very active in the Cursillo movement and Marriage Encounter. As a faithful member of the John Birch Society, he distributed innumerable copies of the New American magazine at various newsstands. He enjoyed fishing, camping, reading, playing cards and telling jokes, to the delight of his grandchildren. In September 2007, he and Betty moved to Tijeras, N.M., to be closer to their daughter Margaret and family. He is survived by his wife Betty and their children Karen Jensen and partner Kurt Old-enbrook of Gary, Ind., Theresa Jensen of Ashland, Ore., Tom Jensen and wife Elisa of Deckerville, Mich., Barbara Jensen-Scott and husband Philip of Tustin, Calif., Louise Ochoa and husband Charles of Columbia, Mo., and Margaret Ebbens and husband Larry of Tijeras, N.M.; two sisters, Helen Heward of South Bend, Ind., and Doris Krossovitch and husband Ogden of Three Oaks, Mich.; a brother, Don Jensen of Camp Verde, Ariz.; 10 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews and many dear friends. Al was preceded in death by his parents, a son, James Jensen, a brother, the Rev. Irwin Jensen, and sister Marcella Horne. There is no room to include all of what Al did, but he shared his God-given talents whenever confronted with a request or a need. Al toiled endlessly to complete tasks from his youngest years through adulthood. He recalls putting in several 17- to 24-hour days to plant the corn for his father when he was 17. His wife and children remember the numerous nights he would go out to help people with their plumbing emergencies regardless of the time of day. Mere strangers were often offered assistance, a meal or a ride, depending on the need. He was a true humanitarian. Some of Al's larger accomplishments include building his shop in Sawyer, Mich., building a drilling and tapping machine, working on submarine landing craft for the Navy, and the rebuilding of the baptismal fountain at Sacred Heart Parish, Prescott, Ariz. A Rosary will be at 10 a.m. followed by a funeral Mass at 11 a.m. on Aug. 5, 2013, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Prescott, Ariz. Memorial donations may be made to Holy Child Parish School, P.O. Box 130, Tijeras, NM 87059. Please log onto www.ruffnerwakelin.com to view and sign Al's guestbook. Information provided by survivors.