James McKay Jensen passed away peacefully on Jan. 21, 2013 at the George E. Wahlen Veterans Home in Ogden, Utah. He was born in Grover to Louis John and Nellie B. Jensen and was the fifth of six children.
Jim spent his early years working on his father's ranch in Grover and was well-known as quite a horseman. He was a very proficient rider and as a young boy was a jockey for his father's race horses. He rode at various venues along with his brother Norman "Books" Jensen and was very famous for sharing the story that he attended many county fairs but "didn't know what a ferris wheel was until he was married since he spent all of his waking hours on the race track or caring for the horses." The boys loved the ranch and one of Jim's favorite things to do was to run his father's milk route, transporting the milk from the surrounding farms to the Afton Creamery; he continued to do this through his teenage years. Jim met his sweetheart, Ann Sanderson, on a blind date arranged by one of Ann's friends. After a year of dating and the impending draft during World War II, Jim married Ann in Idaho Falls on May 6, 1944. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Idaho Falls LDS?Temple. They would have celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary later this year. Shortly after their marriage, Jim was called to serve his country in World War II and was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. Ann accompanied him to Texas where she found employment and they were able to spend the weekends together, but she soon had to say farewell to her soldier as he left for the South Pacific. Jim served proudly in the United States Army on the small island of Okinawa where one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the war took place. Jim remained in Okinawa until the end of the war and returned to his Star Valley home in 1946. Upon returning he was greeted by his family and a one-year old son whom he had never met. Jim and his small family settled in Grover and he continued to work on his father's ranch. He later had the opportunity to work for Challenge Dairy and was employed with the company unit 1957. Jim enjoyed the milk business and the interactions he had with his customers brought him great happiness, so when the opportunity arose he took over the business in 1975 and became a distributor for Western General Dairies. He and Ann managed the family business until his retirement at age 75. Jim worked for over 41 years and enjoyed every minute of it as well as the associations and friendships he made along the way. He touched the lives of many people with his humor, kindness and generosity. Jim was dedicated to his family, and except his work, nothing filled his time that didn't involve his family. He loved to travel and especially enjoyed the family's annual trips to the Oregon coast which were always filled with fun and laughter. His presence will be deeply missed by his family and friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, sister, son and grandson. He is survived by his wife Ann Jensen, and his children: Larry Jensen, JoAnn (Kay) Merritt and Penny Kaye (Craig) Sandberg; grandchildren: Todd Merritt, Kevin Merritt and Scott Merritt, and eight great grandchildren; his brother Dallin (Barbara) Jensen and sister, Myrtle "Myrt" D 'Evelyn. Funeral Services were held in the Grover Ward Chapel on Jan. 21, 2013. Donations may be made in his honor to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4797, Box 515, Thayne, Wyoming, 83127.