Richard H. Jensen, Sr.

SIOUX CITY -- Richard H. Jensen, 83, of Sioux City passed away on Thursday, April 1, 2010, at Sunrise Retirement Community.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at St. Michael Catholic Church in Sioux City, with the Rev. Gary Snyder officiating. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery at Jackson, Minn. Visitation with the family present will be 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, with a vigil service at 7 p.m., at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel.

Richard was born Feb. 22, 1927, in Chicago, Ill., and was the son of Herbert and Jule Jensen. His family later moved to Humbolt, Iowa, where his father married Vivian Parsons due to the death of his first wife, Jule. Richard grew up there and was immediately drafted late in his senior year of high school into the U.S. Army Air Corp. He served as a sergeant in the 323rd Troop Carrier Squadron which included a tour of duty in World War II in France and Germany. Leaving the U.S. Army Air Corp in December 1946 with an honorable discharge, he returned to Humbolt to finish his senior year of high school. He then went to and graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1952 with a BA in business.

He married Bernice Marie Ziebol on May 4, 1953, in Des Moines. In 1952, he went to work for GMAC for 35 years starting as a field representative and retired in April 1987 as a branch manager in South Sioux City. In his 35 years with GMAC, he went overseas with General Motors Overseas Operations in the finance division for 13 years and was stationed in Germany, Sweden, Argentina, South Africa and Mexico before returning to the U.S. in 1976 and locating in Sioux City as a branch manager.

After his retirement, he was very active as a hired lobbyist for the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce, had his own import/export business, was president and advisory for SCORE and volunteered at the Siouxland AID Center to help people with their income taxes and even did them in Spanish, which he spoke. He was also a member of the Sioux City Chamber of Commerce and past chairman of the Law Enforcement Committee, VFW Post 580 as a lifetime member in Sioux City, past chairman and board member of Siouxland Mental Health Center and was a member of St. Michael's Catholic Church in Sioux City.

Richard's favorite hobbies in life were setting up Bunny's (Bernice, his wife) Christmas Village, which numbered over 30 pieces with a working battery-operated train that went around the Christmas tree and had its own train tunnel that it traveled through. Christmas was his favorite time of year to give gifts and play Santa. Richard also enjoyed his five grandchildren whom he counseled, taught and participated in many activities with them including fishing, watching their sporting events and school programs and teaching them how to shoot a BB gun at pop cans. He was always involved in serving his community and other people. He was dedicated in being a great husband, father and grandfather.

Survivors include Bernice (Ziebol) Jensen, his wife of 56 years, of Sioux City; his son, Richard Jensen Jr. of Omaha, Neb.; daughter, Pamela (Jensen) and her husband, David Pronk of Jackson, Minn.; brother-in-law, William Duke of Lincoln, Neb.; sister, Velma Strand of Pella, Iowa; brother, David (Mary) Jensen of Iowa Falls, Iowa; and five grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Ruth (Jensen) Duke; his brother, John Jensen; and his stepmother, Vivian (Parsons) Jensen.

Pallbearers will be Phillip Pronk, Dustin Pronk, Jonathan Blayney, Paul Hansen, Jeff Neary, Ralph Jaeger and Todd Jensen.

Memorials may be directed to St. Michael Catholic Church.