MARY JOHANNA JENSEN was born on November 12, 1935 in Ivanhoe, Minnesota to Albin and Katherine (Yost) Nelson. Mary attended country school near her parent's family farm through her elementary years and then attended school in Ivanhoe. She took one piano lesson and taught herself to play piano and accordion. She played her accordion on Sunday nights on the Marshall radio station for several years. She then learned to play the organ. Mary lived on the family farm north of Tyler until age 15. She moved to Arco, Minnesota and graduated from Ivanhoe High School in 1953. She continued to live on the farm south of Arco until her marriage to Gordon Jensen on October 16, 1954 at Bethany Lutheran Church in Arco. While Gordon was in the Army, they lived on Staten Island, New York. They moved back to Tyler, Minnesota in November 1957 upon Gordy's discharge from the Army. They lived in several locations in Tyler until they bought their farm in the fall of 1962. They moved onto their present farm location in February of 1963 where they would make their home and raise their two sons. Mary was active in all aspects of farming. She especially enjoyed operating all the tractors and farm equipment. She remained active on the farm throughout the rest of her life. On Saturday, February 5, 2022, Mary passed away at her home in Tyler at the age of 86 years, 2 months, and 23 days.

Mary was a longtime member of Danebod Lutheran Church in Tyler. She played piano for the choir and was one of the church organists for 39 years. She especially enjoyed the pipe organ, a challenge she enjoyed learning to play later in her life. Mary had a love for animals, gardening, counted cross-stitching, pulling weeds around the yard, and doing puzzles with folks at the Tyler Nursing Home.

Mary will lovingly be remembered by her two sons, Garth (Sharon) and Kenneth (Deb), both of Tyler; three grandchildren, Nicholas (Marie) Jensen, Kala (Grant) Klinsing, and Shana (Todd) Wallner; four great-grandchildren, Kyan Klinsing, Gwendalynn Klinsing, Miriam Jensen, and Sylah Wallner; sister and brother-in-law, Alice (Paul) Holm of Cloquet, Minnesota; sisters-in-law and brother-in-law, Garnet Petersen of Lake Benton, Minnesota, Ilona (Robert) Henriksen of Armstrong, Iowa, and Valdonna Jensen of Nevis, Minnesota; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gordon; her parents, Albin and Katherine Nelson; and brothers-in-law and sister-in-law, Delmar Jensen, Vyles and Beverly Jensen, and Arlyn Petersen.

Memorials are preferred to Danebod Lutheran Church Piano/Organ Funds