Audrey Joyce Jensen

Audrey, known by many as Aud or A.J., showed us that enthusiasm, a positive attitude, a sense of humor, resourcefulness, hard work and excellent pie baking skills are a recipe for a life well lived. Audrey Jensen left this earth after 88 years. After surviving two major hip surgeries over the past several months and valiantly making remarkably successful strides in her rehabilitation, ironically, Audrey's cause of death was CoVid. At last she is on her way to Heaven to be reunited with her husband, Harvey, who has been waiting patiently for her to join him for over nineteen years. Audrey was fond of saying, "Bless your heart!" to many people in her world and sincerely meaning it. We are so grateful for all the love she shared while she was here, and our love for her will endure forever.

Audrey was born in Detroit to Frank and Helen. After graduating from high school in Detroit, Audrey was offered a professional singing career but chose to marry Harvey on March 31, 1951. After he finished his journeyman training in plastering in 1952, they built their life and home in Sturgis. Harvey and his father, Andrew Jensen, built the Sturgis Drive-In Theatre, and Audrey ran the cash register at the concession stand in the evenings after she completed her secretarial day of work at Freeland Sons Company. Audrey was a dedicated and busy stay-at-home mom for many years before she modeled for Seger's Department Store and then began serving as a waitress, who went by the nickname of "A.J.", for more than 25 years at Patterson's Supper Club and other area restaurants. She served as a Cub Scout leader, was a member of the Sturgis Junior Women's League and she belonged to Holy Angels Catholic Church, where she was a member of Our Lady of the Rosary group. Much of Audrey's life was devoted to her children and she was a champion of their successes. She was incredibly generous and loved to travel, taking her family on many memorable trips and adventures. She had a special place in her heart for Hawaii where she delighted in the contagious "Aloha" spirit.

Audrey enjoyed working in the yard and loved her roses of Sharon. She loved playing Bingo with family, friends and even strangers, celebrating others' wins as much as her own. She adored her dog, A.J, and her many furry and feathered grandbabies. If you ever did a favor for Audrey, you were likely the recipient of a delicious homemade apple or cherry pie. She had an indomitable spirit, an effervescent joie de vivre, a profound intuition and an enormous heart. She loved people, was genuinely interested in others' experiences and what they had to say, and she effortlessly made friends wherever she went. She had a beautiful voice and loved to sing, spoke a little Polish, appreciated a good joke, a great bargain, a vigorous polka and sharing a nice meal whether at home or at a restaurant. She appreciated receiving a kind gesture or compliment, and enjoyed giving them to others even more so, often saying, "Give flowers to the living, not to the dead."

Audrey always stood up for the underdog, and had a particular gift for blessing the genius in others and encouraging them to reach for their dreams. She was kind, compassionate, fun and funny. Audrey loved her family and she took special enjoyment whenever she was in the company of her loving children and grandchildren. Everywhere she went, she shared her love and hugs freely, and was delighted to take others under her motherly wing. Audrey was a gentle spirit and a kind and loving soul with a heart of gold. She will be greatly missed by many, including staff members at StoryPoint, where she had resided for the past several years. She and her caregivers shared a mutually joyful and enriching relationship and each worker invariably fell under her spell as she shared her genuine compassion and concern for each person who entered her world of love. We fondly and reverently refer to these amazing caregivers as "Audrey's Angels" and gratefully embrace them as part of our loving, extended family. We remain forever grateful to Audrey's Angels for the love and care shared with all of us.

Audrey was preceded in death by her loving husband of 51 years, Thomas "Harvey" Jensen and her brother, Donald. Her brother, Frank (Margaret) survives her. Audrey will be incredibly missed by her son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Pat, her daughters and sons-in-law: Cindy and Frank, Corinne and Mike, Colleen and Dragan, Charlene and David, as well as her grandchildren: Nichole (J.R.), Joshua (Megan), Tom (Tammie), Lauren (Lynza), Jensen (Anne), Nicholas and Alexis and her eight great-grandchildren: Bo and Layla, Winter and Addison, Josiah, Micah, Julianna and Daniel, and two on the way.

To honor Audrey's life, be kind to each other. Maybe feed someone. Be sure to tip your waitstaff. In accordance with her wishes, her body is being cremated. The family is planning a celebration of Audrey's life for sometime in the future. Those wishing to honor Audrey's life with a memorial may consider gifting to the Alzheimer's Foundation at https://alzfdn.org/support-us/donate/