RICHARD NEIL JENSEN
Jan. 23, 1940 – Feb. 1, 2024
A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 1st at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, burial to follow at E. Line Street Cemetery, and a luncheon afterwards in the Parish Hall at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church.
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Dad, Husband, Grandpa, Brother, Uncle and Friend, Neil Jensen.
Neil was called home to Jesus on February 1st, 2024 at the age 84. Neil passed away peacefully with family by his side.
Neil was quite the athlete his entire life. From an early age of playing PeeWee Baseball with fond memories of his Dad, Aaron Jensen as his Coach. He played basketball and competed in track and field for Van Nuys High School, where he earned many achievements; one was named best newcomer for the 70-High Hurdler and named top contender in the Hop, Skip, Jump Broad Jump his Junior year. Neil also earned top scorer on the basketball team his Junior and Senior year. He went on to play basketball for Los Angeles Valley College, while attending college he met the beautiful Joyce Engelsman. He and Joyce were married in 1962, and shortly after they welcomed their first daughter Tammy, and then Denise. After having a family Neil took a chance on excepting a job with the Post Office in a remote, rural town of Mammoth Lakes, CA. He and Joyce packed up their family and moved from the city life of Simi Valley to the beautiful, Eastern Sierras in 1969. Neil continued his passion for baseball by playing many years on various teams; Union Carbide, Mammoth Mountain and El Capitan, to name a few, where his team always went on to make it to the State Championships, and he got his nickname one niner, from his jersey #19. Neil was very supportive of his daughters as they played sports at Mammoth High
School, which lead him to be the varsity basketball coach for Mammoth High School in 1980. And there afterwards he dedicated his free time to be a basketball referee traveling up and down the Owens Valley for many years. Neil and Joyce moved to Bishop from Mammoth Lakes in 1983, to escape the harsh winters where they both worked up until retirement. Neil retired after 25 years with the Mammoth Lakes and Bishop Post Office. He was a long term member at the Bishop Country Club, where he spent many hours playing with his buddies for early morning tee times. He also enjoyed fishing the Owens River, and all that the beautiful Eastern Sierras had to offer. Neil was very active with his grandkids throughout their sports and school academic achievements, taking pride to teach each one of them the love the game. His beloved Joyce passed away from a long battle of a cancerous brain tumor in 2007, which later lead him to meet a new love, the beautiful and kindhearted Marsha Blatchford of Arkansas City, Kansas, where he eventually moved and remarried in 2009. Neil continued to be a big supporter to the local high school sports programs there, and he took to the game of Pickleball, which of course he was a natural at. Neil was very active with the Scared Heart Catholic Church in Arkansas City with taking communion to the sick and volunteering his free time to help wherever needed. Neil was a very faithful man, and he had comfort knowing he would be surrounded by God’s Glory come the end of his time.
Neil was preceded in death by his parents, Aaron and Edna Jensen, wife Joyce Jensen, sister Marilyn Jensen, sister Sheila Tate.
He is survived by wife Marsha Blatchford Jensen, sister Carolyn Williford, daughters and son in-laws; Tammy and Mike Hollowell, Denise and Andy Lehr, bonus daughters and son in-laws; Debbie and Todd Masterson, Diana and Nate Gurley, Darci and Nate Crow, Denise and Jeff Ratcliff, Grandchildren; Ashley and Zach McLaughlin, Tyler and Michelle Roberts, Natalie and Tani Santana, Whitney McCoy and Clyde McCoy.
Great Grandchildren: Lucas Turner, Zailey and Kade McLaughlin, Grayson and Austin Roberts, Brayden, Alexiver, Ariah and Jovanni Santana.