Obituary: Dorthea Jensen

Dorthea Martha Jensen (“Dot”) passed away on June 15, 2016, surrounded by her family.

Born Dorthea Martha Lund in Del Rey, California on August 23, 1927, she was the daughter of Peter Lund, a naturalized immigrant from Denmark, and Christiane Lund (nee Hansen).

Dot grew up on a ranch in Del Rey where her parents cultivated grapes for raisins, and she remembered being afraid of the enormous draft horses that her parents used in the vineyards.

She was raised among a large family of aunts, uncles and cousins in an area with many Danish immigrants.
She was educated at the Prairie School, Selma Union High School, and Grand View College, Des Moines, Iowa.

While at Grand View College, Dot met Herluf Mathias Jensen, who also came from a Danish-American family from the mid-West.

Dot and Herluf were married in 1948 at St. Ansgar’s Lutheran Church in Parlier, California, the same church where her parents were married in 1919 and which is now part of the Selma Pioneer Village, a collection of historical buildings from the early farming days of the region.

After early years together in Boston, Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City, Dot and Herluf settled in New Jersey where they raised their family of five children and numerous pets.

Dot loved animals and almost always had one or more loving dogs to keep her company in her home and yard.

The yard was more or less fenced, and she did not walk the dogs, although she did have to retrieve them from time to time.

Dot lived the last 48 years of her life in her old Victorian house in Moorestown, New Jersey, marked by an enormous pine tree that was eventually entirely covered in wisteria.

She remained living in her home until her death, cared for by her family. Her energetic, delightful grandchildren created special fun and joy.

Dot loved gardening. She transformed her yard into an ever-expanding garden, growing both vegetables and perennials.

When asked how much time she spent in her garden, she replied, “All the time that I had.” The back yard was where she served supper every evening in the summer and where she and Herluf hosted so many family and church parties.

She also enjoyed many other kinds of handwork, from canning fruit she had picked herself, to sewing and crocheting, to caning chairs and refinishing furniture.

From her old house to her old things, Dot took care in preserving things. In addition to her life-long mantra of “Make do with what you have,” she also believed that whatever you have, no matter how modest, you take care of it.

As a young person she played piano and violin, and later helped her children develop their own musical talents.

She and Herluf loved music, especially of the church, but also enjoyed concerts by the Philadelphia Orchestra.

In the last years of her life, she loved hearing her son Peter play the piano every night.

Dot was always active in the life of her church, which was her community. And she supported her husband Herluf in his life-long service in the Lutheran Church.

At the time of Herluf’s retirement in 1991, he wrote of Dot: “Faithful Disciple, Inspirer, Motivator, Critic, Healer of Wounds, Worker Behind the Scenes, Grower of Flowers, Love of My Life.”

When Dot and Herluf had free time, they deeply treasured visiting Dot’s sister Gerry and her husband Happy Carey in rural Western Massachusetts.

There, Dot could hop from rock to rock in the cold Green River and found special rocks to bring home and keep in her garden.

She and Herluf also loved camping in New England, especially Vermont. If the time was right, Dot would pick as many ripe blackberries as she could and quickly make jam (back in Gerry and Happy’s kitchen) to last the winter.

Despite her happy memories of growing up in the San Joaquin Valley of California, she said the big trees of the East Coast made her very happy. She never fell out of awe.

Dot’s family and friends will also remember her hospitality and open door. She grew up in an ethnically and economically diverse community and she was always welcoming to family, friends, and anyone in need.

She began each meal with the Danish word of invitation “Vaersaagod” (please be so good … to come to the table), which reflected her broader invitation to self, family and friends to come to the table of Life.

Dot is survived by her children Lance Jensen, Cynthia Jensen, Peter Jensen, Roslind Ossi and her husband Rob, her niece Chrystiane, and her son-in-law Victor Zeringo - and by her eight grandchildren Nicholas and Serafina Zeringo and Cecelia, Lucia, Gemma, Matthias, Adele and Vera Ossi. She is predeceased by her husband of 62 years, Herluf, her sister Geraldyne, and her daughter Tezanne.

A funeral for Dot will be held on Saturday June 18, 2016, at Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Moorestown, NJ. Visitation will begin at 9:00 AM and the service at 9:30 AM, followed by a reception at the church.

Interment will follow the reception at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church Cemetery in Hainesport.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory can be made to the Saint Matthew Lutheran Church Memorial Fund.

Condolences maybe left at www.lewisfuneralhomemoorestown.com.