Nancy Allyson Jensen's Obituary
Nancy Allyson Jensen- Our beloved mom, daughter, sister, friend and BEST Grandma EVER, returned home to her Heavenly Father Monday, October 12, 2015. Nancy battled Metastatic Colon Cancer for five long years. Her children say she “kicked Cancer’s Butt” as she long outlived the time frame the doctors gave her, even to the bitter end.
Instead of a formal obituary, as Nancy lived her life “outside of the box”, we would rather share our laughs, joys and moments about Nancy. Words to describe mom are: Strong, Resilient, Fighter, Courageous, Hard worker, Smart, Brave, Loving, Devoted, Funny, Warrior, Stubborn, Accepting, Caring, Determined, Bad Ass and Talented, to name a few. Nancy enjoyed her family, most of all her grandchildren. Her children recall many times she found joy embarrassing one of them at one point or another. For instance, dancing her way down a grocery aisle, snapping her fingers and singing along to the store’s overhead music, or seeing her daughters school crush at church and make a “bee-line” towards him and introduce herself as the mom of the girl who likes you, or the time you were grounded to your room on the night the Boy Scouts were having a dinner for the boys and parents, the steak sounded so delicious so sneaking out of your bedroom window, head to the church cut into that delicious steak and before taking a bite feel the hair on the back of your neck rise to turn around and find your mother standing right behind you to escort you home. We could also embarrass mom, as we enjoyed trying to get back at her. Enticing her to ‘go ahead and get on your granddaughters training wheel bike’ snap a few photos and share it on Facebook, convincing her to get in a child’s wagon her grandkids pushing her from behind to again take more photos and post on social media, also hollering and shouting for your lost mom through the store (as recent as a few months ago). Mom raised us on her own which lead her to be very creative and frugal. We have the best memories of holidays and birthdays. We received letters from the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny, the Tooth fairy would leave glitter everywhere and the Easter Bunny had stamped his footprints on his letters. When moving homes one of us found a baggy full of teeth which lead to the awkward discussion of how they got there and who is the Tooth Fairy. Mom was extremely resourceful and creative. We all had handmade clothes and toys, which were always better than store bought. Our birthday parties were amazing as she went all out in making what she could for us to have fun, for example the ever long process of churning homemade ice-cream by hand and always worth the wait or cutting out several lips to play pin the lips on Michael Jackson.
When Nancy became a grandma her world changed and her grandchildren were and are her everything. Grandma spoiled and spoiled some more. She has a unique and individual relationship with each one. Trips to the craft store for a spontaneous activity, an afternoon of putting puzzles together, watching endless episodes of Bubble Guppies, Friday Treat days, Text chats, attending Football, soccer, swim lessons, Dance recitals, Tee-ball, BMX racing, school performances, the many individualized hand made toys and blankets, mending or hemming of an outfit or costume. Nancy enjoyed doing and serving for them all. This Grandma couldn’t love anyone more than her grandkids. Mom, we can’t believe you’re gone. You were always there for us. It has already been so hard. We could always pick up the phone to check on you, tell you we love you, or just to talk. We took a lot for granted. We didn’t understand your pain. You didn’t know what was in store for you, and still, you never gave up!! We knew if our mom could be strong through this then so could we. We had the best childhood, being a single parent, you always had a way to provide for us, keep us safe, helped us grow, and allowed us to make memories. You taught us how to love, how to make good decisions and guided us to become who we are today. We also learned to work hard, laugh and most importantly, strength. We have admired you through your battle with cancer. Man you are strong! Mom we will miss being able to call you crying when one of our children has coated the bathroom with baby powder, when we have had a rough day and need some motherly advice, when we’re on the road heading towards a work-site and need to hear your voice or for you to listen to how our day is going, when our child scored a touchdown or to brag about an award one of the kids received. Grandma we will miss the homemade slurpees, making christmas crafts, doing rainbow loom with you, cuddling in your chair with you watching our favorite show, hearing your voice sing a lullaby to us, the many cool gifts you made us and hearing you tell us that “you love us from the mountains to the table” You gave us the gift of life. We can’t tell you how lucky we are to have a mother like you, and our children to have a grandma like you. Heavenly Father has other plans for you, and we know you will always be in our thoughts and dreams. We also know you’ll be there to keep us safe and continue to guide us. We are so happy you are free from pain, and will forever put you on a pedestal as the best mom and grandma ever! We love you Mom!
Nancy is survived by her children Jenny (Marshall) and their 3 children, Peter (Andrea) and their 4 children, and Carrie (Dalton). Also surviving, her mother, Geraldine and her brother, Jack (Denise). Funeral Services will be held at the LDS meetinghouse located at 1361 E 4000 S, SLC as an Open House visitation from 11 am to 1 pm on Saturday, October 17, 2015. Graveside services will be held at Elysian Gardens Cemetery located at 1075 E 4580 S SLC at 1:30 pm. on Saturday.
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