Ruth Jensen

Ruth Marie Jensen, age 96, passed away peacefully in her home on Sunday, May 24, 2020. Ruth was born March 30, 1924, in Stockholm, SD to Henning and Enga (Tweed) Erickson. She graduated from South Shore School in 1942. On August 22, 1942, Ruth married the love of her life, Verner Jensen, in a small ceremony in Glendale, California. After Verner completed his military career, the couple made a home in South Shore, SD, where they raised their three sons - Ron, Darrel, and Lynn, and fostered two daughters, Lynda (Bear) Harris and Beverly (Bear) Dukes. Ruth and Verner’s family flourished and they were blessed with a multitude of grandchildren. Their home was always filled with love and constant house guests. Whether caring for her ailing mother, or opening up her home for extended stays for grandchildren or other houseguests, Ruth was a selfless caretaker. Ruth and Verner enjoyed 48 years of marriage until Verner passed away on November 4, 1990. Ruth continued to live in their family home for the next 30 years. Family was everything to Ruth. She enjoyed spending time with her three very devoted sons and would speak to them daily. She enjoyed daily coffee with her sons Lynn and Ron and loved travelling to Texas to visit her son Darrel and his family. Nothing made her happier than having all of her sons home with her. She loved hearing them sing and use their musical gifts. She was their number one fan. For all of the care she had put into them over the years, they returned the favor in the last few years of her life – proving to be very good caretakers themselves. Ruth also loved watching her grandchildren grow up and attended as many sporting events as she could. She was an avid sports fan and defender of grandchildren, and was known to occasionally let an official know they made an incorrect call at the exact time the gym was at its quietest. She was also known to play an occasional prank on an unsuspecting grandchild and always maintained her feisty and witty sense of humor, even to the end. Ruth was also blessed to get to know and spend time with her 40+ great grandchildren (we lost count). Ruth loved her daily crossword puzzles and watching Twins baseball. She loved Lifetime movies and Westerns until she claimed she had already watched every one ever made. Most of all, Ruth loved Jesus. She was the spiritual pillar of her family and you knew that if she said she was going to pray for you, she meant it. Her family is grateful for the time we had with her, but we know that she is in the arms of GOD and reunited with her beloved Verner (who we can only imagine upon the reunion said, “What took you so long?”). Ruth is lovingly remembered by: son Ron (Connie) Jensen, South Shore, SD; son Darrel (Jackie) Jensen, Sealy, TX; son Lynn Jensen, South Shore, SD; daughter Beverly Dukes, Watertown, SD; sister-in-law Betty Erickson, Stockholm, SD, 27 Grandchildren; a lot of Great-Grandchildren; and several loving nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by: father Henning Erickson, mother Enga (Tweed) Erickson, husband Verner Jensen, daughter Lynda Harris, son-in-law Jefferson Dukes, grandson Chris Dukes, sister Edna Gengler, sister Helen Seim, brother Knute Erickson, brother Henry Erickson, sister Sue Bohn. Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, May 30, 2020 at the South Shore School Gymnasium in South Shore with Reverend Michael Wallenmeyer officiating. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the services at the gymnasium on Saturday. Burial will be at the Evergreen Cemetery, Stockholm, SD. Honorary Pallbearers will be Ruth's granddaughters: Traci Evans, Dusine Hoff, Jaci Gerhold, Sara Nelson, Melissa Rhodes, Elizabeth Jensen and Lisa Stowe. Active Pallbearers will be her grandsons: Tim Jensen, Josh Jensen, Shane Jensen, Robb Jensen, Tyler Jensen, Erick Jensen, Elton Jensen, Aaron Jensen, Jacob Jensen, Bill Dukes, Shawn Dukes, Stacy Dukes, Kevin Dukes and Corey Dukes. Arrangements by Wight & Comes Funeral Chapel, www.wightandcomes.com.