Carl Jensen, age 84, of Sumner passed away July 26, 2019 in Paris, Texas.
Services are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 30th at Bright-Holland Funeral Home with Chase Hickman officiating. Burial will follow in Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 – 7 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
Carl was born June 7, 1935 in West Branch, Iowa the oldest son of Sigurd D. Jensen and Alberta Hemingway Jensen. Growing up on a farm in eastern Iowa gave him a lifelong love of agriculture and raising cattle.
After graduating from West Branch High School in 1953, he entered the Army and served in Washington state and Germany prior to his honorable discharge. Before entering the service, he met his bride to be Dorothy Beall while she attended college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Carl and Dorothy married on January 2, 1958 in Waukon, Iowa relocating to Hitchcock, Texas where he was employed on the Meacom Ranch. His ranching career led to a position at Ramsey’s 777 Ranch in Driftwood, Texas. When the 777 Ranch relocated to Lamar County in 1965, Carl was promoted to manager and moved his family to the ranch headquarters at Faulkner/Pinhook.
In 1976, after a change in ownership of the 777 Ranch, Carl took a position with Paris Air Conditioning from which he retired in 2004.
A firm believer in education, one of Carl’s proudest achievements was obtaining an Associates Degree in Business from Paris Junior College attending classes at night while managing the ranch during the day. He served a term as a member of the North Lamar ISD Board of Trustees.
Carl loved to hunt and fish with family and friends. He particularly enjoyed tournament bass fishing and trips to Canada to meet up with family from Iowa to fish for walleye and pike. For pure joy he fished with his grandchildren on the pond he built on land he purchased adjacent to the family home.
Preceded in death by his parents; sisters Bonita and Marilyn and brother Willis (Bill). He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Dorothy. Sister: Elaine Siddell of Iowa City, IA. Children: Dan Jensen (Terrence Williams) of Albuquerque, NM; Becky Brazeal (Jerry Wayne) of Paris; Jeannie Brown (Scott) of Hopewell; Scott Jensen (Elizabeth) of Royse City; Melissa Redmond (John) of Duarte, CA; and 13 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation or the Parkinson’s Foundation of Oklahoma (Hugo Support Group).
To leave a message or tribute for the family please visit www.brighthollandfuneralhome.com
