Helen Jensen, Ada, MN, passed away on Tuesday, January 7, 2020, under the care of her family and Hospice at Benedictine Care Community in Ada. She was 102 years young.

Helen was born on a farm in rural Goodridge, MN on August 10, 1917, to Amund and Karen (Jensen) Johnson. Helen was the youngest of 12 children.

She attended country school through the 8th grade. Helen had many stories of their one room school house and the mile and a half walk one way. When she was around 15 or 16 she decided to take the train to Fargo to stay with her sister. It was in Fargo that she met Carl Jensen. They were married when Carl was 20 and Helen was 17. They would spend 69 years together before he died in 2005.

They had five children, Marlene, JoAnne, Patsy, Van and Pam. Carl and Helen lived several places before moving to the farm south of Ada, MN, where they lived until 1972. Helen was a tremendous cook (just ask any of the hired men she fed over the years) and baker. Her homemade buns and donuts can’t be imitated. In 1972, when they sold the farm, Carl began trucking from Halstad to Duluth and began helping his son-in-law Bruce Viker.

Helen was one of a kind, with her fun-spirited laughter, and enthusiasm for life. Carl and Helen loved to travel, driving to the East and West coasts, visiting Norway, and the Caribbean. They loved to dance and socialize. They spent winters in south Texas where they had many friends and visitors. Carl and Helen had a lake place at Roy Lake where they entertained many friends and relatives. Everyone was welcome.

In 2012, Helen entered the Benedictine Care Community in Ada to room with her older sister Kay (104), they were well known for their shenanigans and were loved by the staff there.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Carl; 8 sisters; 2 brothers; daughter, Marlene (Bo) Warner; son, Van (Cindy) Jensen; and one granddaughter, Kristine Viker-Spurzm.

Funeral: 2:00 PM, Saturday, August 29, 2020 at Fredrikson-Ganje Funeral Home in Ada, following all of the Minnesota and CDC COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. Masks are required to attend.

Visitation: 12:00-2:00 PM at Fredrikson-Ganje Funeral Home in Ada.

Burial: St. Pauli Lutheran Cemetery, Rural Hendrum, MN