Carl A. Jensen

May 21, 1926 - June 8, 2020

Obituary

Pastor Carl A. Jensen died June 8, 2020, in Bellingham, WA at the age of 94 following a life of ministry and service.

He was born to Carl and Amalie Jensen on May 21, 1926 in Madera, CA. The family moved to Reedley, CA, in 1932 and then to Selma, CA, where Carl completed his elementary and high school education. After graduation from High School, he enrolled at the Central California Commercial College in Fresno, CA. He graduated in the fall of 1945 and worked as a bookkeeper for the next three years.

At a Luther League Bible Camp in July 1948, he felt led by God to enter the Lutheran Bible Institute (LBI) in Los Angeles, graduating in 1950. During his two years at LBI, Carl felt further led to prepare for the ministry and enrolled at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in the spring of 1953.

On June 21, 1953, he was united in marriage to Hazel Haugness in Sandpoint, ID.

The same year, he enrolled at Trinity Seminary in Blair, NE to begin his preparation for the ministry in the Lutheran Church. In the fall of 1954, he transferred his studies to Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. A one-year internship was served at Denny Park Lutheran Church in Seattle, WA before graduating from Luther Seminary in 1957.

Upon receiving a Call to serve two rural congregations in Webster, MN, he was ordained a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church on June 2, 1957. His ordination service took place at the First Lutheran Church in Sandpoint, ID, which was his wife Hazel’s home congregation. It was during their time of ministry in Webster, MN, that the Jensens adopted a son, Steven, and a daughter, Susan, as infants.

In the following years Carl served parishes in Watford City, ND; Nelson, British Columbia, Canada; Seattle, WA; and Eugene, OR. From 1976 to 1987 he served as a preaching evangelist for the Lutheran Evangelistic Movement of Minneapolis, MN. During those years he conducted evangelism missions in congregations throughout western Canada and the United States.

Following retirement from active parish ministry, Carl accepted a new challenge when he and his wife Hazel moved to Richland, WA in 1990 to take over as managers of the Luther Senior Center apartments. Carl continued to serve alone as manager after Hazel’s sudden death by heart attack on Sunday, November 8, 1992.

Carl was united in marriage to Ruthann Hutchins at Richland Lutheran Church on April 26, 1997. She joined him as co-manager of Luther Senior Center, where they served together until their retirement at the end of March 2002. Carl continued to do pulpit supply and serve as interim pastor in several Tri-City Lutheran churches before he and Ruthann relocated to Bellingham, WA.

Carl is survived by his wife Ruthann; his son Steven and daughter-in-law Tina Jensen of Dubuque, IA; his daughter Susan Jensen of Chicago, IL; granddaughter Sarah (Jensen) Tharp and her husband Alex of Waco, TX; granddaughter Rachel (Jensen) Kennell and her husband Austin of Tampa, FL.

Carl will be laid to rest at Bonney Watson Washington Memorial in SeaTac, WA.