Howard A. Jensen of Beaverton died December 28, 2009. He was born in Kenosha, WI on July 15, 1922, the younger of two sons born to William L. and Marion Silver Jensen. During World War II, he served as a U.S. Navy corpsman in the Pacific theater. Following the war, he continued his education and graduated from the University of Illinois, Cook County Hospital School of Nursing and Barnes Hospital School of Anesthesia. While serving as chief nurse anesthetist at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, FL, he met and married Barbara Cavant Hill in 1963. His career took him to other parts of the country before settling in the Pacific Northwest. He worked for the Veterans Administration Hospital in Portland for more than 20 years, retiring in 1989.
Never one to seek a sedentary retirement, Howard bought and continued to expand Scholls Ferry Farm Gourmet Collection, which included a variety of gourmet fruit spreads, jellies and jams. For several years he was a fixture at the Beaverton Farmers Market on Saturdays where, as his family has always known, Howard could enjoy his first passion of meeting and talking with the public. At the time of his death, he was a part-time Metropolitan Exposition Recreation Commission (MERC) employee, working as a gate attendant at the Oregon Convention Center.
Howard enjoyed working out at the Beaverton YMCA as well as puttering in his garage, yard and garden. Before his declining health, he enjoyed his hobby of chair caning. In the summer, he loved growing a variety of heirloom tomatoes and was well-known in the neighborhood for sharing his bountiful crop. Howard also looked forward to annual visits to Mexico and Palm Desert, CA, where he could enjoy the warm sunshine and a respite from the cold and rainy Oregon winter. Howard was a lifetime member of both the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a 50-year member of the Masons, as well as a member of the Scottish Rite and Shrine.
In addition to his wife, Barbara, Howard is survived by their sons, whom he considered to be one of his proudest achievements: Howard Jensen, Jr., and wife, Janene of Hillsboro; Paul W. Jensen and wife, Tessa of Bellevue, WA; and Eric R. Jensen of Beaverton; sister-in-law, Patricia Flagler; and nephews, Ian and Robert Cummings. Their dogs, which he called his "grand dogs," were also a great source of pleasure for him.
A memorial service and celebration of Howard's life will be held at 1:00PM on Monday, January 4, 2010, in Finley-Sunset Hills Memorial Park Chapel in Portland. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests remembrances be made to Loaves & Fishes (PO Box 19477, Portland, OR 97280-0477) or the Oregon Humane Society (PO Box 11364, Portland, OR 97211).
Published by The Oregonian on January 2, 2010.