“Larry” was born August 15th , 1944 in Rockford, Illinois to Reverend Wesley and Pauline Jensen. The first of four sons, his brothers Tom, Richard and Ken soon followed. The family lived in the suburbs of Chicago. Larry married his high school sweetheart, Diane, in 1964 and they remained together for 60 years, until his passing. Their three sons; Michael, Carl and David, and two grandchildren, Hannah and Jacob all survive him.
Larry earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from the Illinois Institute of Technology and after briefly teaching at Loyola University in Chicago began a long career working as a computer systems engineer for the railroad industry (Chicago & Northwestern and Union Pacific). Larry and Diane moved from Illinois to Omaha, NE in 1995 and then to Port Ludlow, WA in 2018.
A lifelong servant of Christ in the United Methodist Church, Larry was a committed volunteer and active in his church communities throughout his life. He was an advocate for progressive values of love and inclusion in the church. He enjoyed the hobbies of fine woodworking, photography, prairie restoration, music appreciation, and crossword puzzles, along with the study of Christian theology.
After retirement, Larry committed himself to volunteer efforts for rights and justice in immigrant communities in Nebraska and Washington State. He was passionately dedicated to the Jefferson County Immigration Rights Advocates (JCIRA) in Port Townsend, WA during his final years.
He died peacefully in his home, surrounded by the love of his family, on January 24, 2024.
