Joan Tupper Jensen's Obituary
Joan Tupper Williams Jensen
Joan Tupper Williams Jensen, 71, Orem, Utah.
After a 6 month battle with cancer Joan died peacefully in her home on the
evening of August 4, 2020. During her last illness she was attended to by her
husband, her daughters, and her brother Artha Darby Williams III.
Her sister, Viki Giraud, writes about Joan as follows:
"The whimsical name of Tupper was our mother’s idea – it was the name of a
character in a book Mom was reading. The origin was Tupper Lake in New
York State. As I understand it, Tupper called herself Tupper mostly for old
friends and family and saved the name Joan for her later school years.
"We got acquainted in Germany, where Tupper was born, and I was seven
years old. As Army brats we had many adventures—her getting lost in an
apartment elevator at age 2 in the Bronx (I found her), using British accents
and learning Italian songs in Libya and sharing a bed in our Italian apartment
where we listened to Armed Forces Radio, and taking a Med Cruise on our
way home to Virginia. On the cruise we had many highlights including: racing
up the Leaning Tower of Pisa our Mom trying to catch us – since there were
no barriers to keep us on the tower. We shared a horse carriage ride in Turkey
and explored a city park. She was always eager to have adventures. She had
spunk enough to bully her little brother Darby as well. She was independent
minded and sought out the Mormon Church although no one else in her family
was a member. Tupper and I talked every weekend for years and shared our
lives fully. Our last meeting in person was to celebrate my daughter Heidi’s
50th birthday last October (2019), an event we won’t ever forget."
Joan was born in Munich, on March 21, 1949. Her father, Col. Artha Darby
Williams, Jr., was then serving in the United States Army Corp of Engineers.
Joan attended school in Germany and was bilingual all her life, speaking both
English and German. After joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints in her early 20s, Joan served a German speaking mission in
Switzerland.
Joan met her husband, Brent Joseph Jensen, at Brigham Young University
shortly after Brent returned from his mission in Italy. They were in the same
"Family Home Evening" group and soon developed a friendship that
continued to blossom over the next 44 years. Brent proposed to Joan on 5
separate occasions, but she refused him each time. Nevertheless, Joan
continued to agree to date him. Then, one evening after one such date, she
finally said, "Yes" – 5 times. They married on December 18, 1976, in the Salt
Lake Temple. They have 5 children, Heather Jean, David Joseph, John
Williams, Sara Elizabeth and Rebecca Ann.
Joan served in several callings in her church throughout her life, including the
Cub program where she served with her husband, but she loved working with
the children in the nursery the most. Her heart was always drawn to children.
And children were always drawn to Joan, often adopting her as their honorary
mother or grandmother. In addition, Joan was a true friend and sister to every
other sister in the Relief Society and to every member of her ward.
Joan is survived by her husband, her five children, and her four grandchildren,
Grace Kendall Lynn Burton, Bryant Guy Jefferson Burton, Sophie Eve Jensen
and Kai Joseph Jensen.
Graveside services will be 11:30 am, Saturday, August 8, 2020 at the Orem City Cemetery, 1550 North 800 East, Orem, Utah with a viewing prior to services at Premier Funeral Services, 1160 North 1200 West, Orem, Utah.
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