Jordan Clay Jenson was born in Duchesne, Duchesne, Utah on 7 January 1928 to George Lawrence Jenson and Della Maretta Brady. Jordan grew up in a very rural setting. With blond hair and blue eyes he ran all over the area on the hills north of Duchesne. With a bunch of sisters and a brother about his age he had fun. From rolling burning tires down the hill to setting up electrical circuits to shocking his sisters when they touched the doorknob on the porch, he was known to be mischievous. Even though times were tough during his childhood (1930s depression) he learned to just move ahead. As he grew into his teenage years he would help his family with lumber cutting and hauling. He attended high school in Roosevelt, Utah. He was too young to join the fight in WWII until the very end. He then enlisted in the Navy. While enlisting with his brother, the woman who filled out their paperwork misspelled their last name. They were not about to correct her, so they have the last name JENSEN. (We recently looked up his father George's WWI draft registration card. It also had Jensen with and "e.")
He became fascinated with communication systems on board ship, which served him well in his lifetime career. Traveling around the Pacific he was able to visit many countries including Japan after the war. His sister, Gloria, introduced him to her friend, Elma. She had dark hair, beautiful eyes, and lots of personality. She was 16 when they met. They married shortly thereafter. Then came five children over 8 years.
Jordan moved the family to Hawthorne, California. He got a job there winding motors while working on improving his education at El Camino College to become an electronic engineer. He would fix televisions and radios as a hobby and for extra income. His interest and love for electronics landed him a career in the aerospace industry at TRW. He rapidly became known for his knowledge and abilities. He was smart! He eventually headed up a large team of engineers that developed and launched satellites in orbits around the earth to allow instant television, radio, and personal communications everywhere on the planet. He loved his involvement with the space industry.
The center of his life was his wife, Elma. He loved his children and his grandkids.
He later developed heart problems and had bypass surgery. After an early retirement, he passed away while sleeping in his bed in Draper, Utah on 14 January 1991, at age 63. He and his wife are buried next to each other in Larkin Sunset Cemetery in Sandy, Utah.
Elma was born 24 of May 1932 in Provo, Utah to Raymond Orestes Baker and Elma June Smith as her father attended BYU to become a teacher. The young family moved around working various teaching and other jobs. They ended up in Draper, Utah. They built a home on family land by themselves starting with the basement where they lived while they built the rest.
Relocating to Hawthorne, California from Utah in 1954 took 3 days travel by car and truck. Elma raised the kids as Jordan took on responsibility for the support of the family. Elma loved art and she painted a mountain scene on the garage door which many came to see. She was very active and engaged in service at her LDS ward and loved doing Bazaars. She was social with many friends. She loved to laugh and scare people. She enjoyed parties and water fights. She loved sharing Disneyland with family members.
She placed over 50 babies in LDS homes through her doctor. She advised a college sorority for several years. She learned sign language and was the YW president for the deaf. She loved her 28 grandkids. At age 50 she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She suffered for five years. She died on August 12, 1987 in Draper, Utah.
1 comment:
I loved reading about Glen's parents as well. What amazing parents you both have!
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