Ron Gene Jensen

Ron was born on September 21st, 1934 to George and Eleanor Jensen in St. Paul, MN. His childhood was spent on dairy farms throughout Wisconsin. He was active in FFA at Amery High School and graduated in 1952. He went on to major in history at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls, graduating in 1956. It was there that Ron met Mary Weatherhead, who would go on to be his wife and partner for almost 67 years. They were married on August 13th, 1955 in New Richmond, WI. They were blessed with 4 children and enjoyed traveling as a family throughout the United States.

Ron lived a life of service to others, dedicating himself to public and higher education. He taught various levels, from 5th grade to junior college. He received his master’s degree in sociology at Northern Illinois University in 1961. He moved from the classroom into teacher association work in 1966 and helped to develop the collective bargaining framework for teacher negotiations in Michigan. In 1971, he became head of the Indiana State Teachers Association where he served for nearly a decade. Ron received his Doctor of Education degree from Indiana University in 1985. He finished his career as the assistant to several deans at the Indiana University School of Optometry.

After retiring in 2000, Ron cherished his time with family and the Bloomington community. He and Mary have been members of First Presbyterian Church (FPC) for over 40 years. He fulfilled many roles at FPC in addition to serving the regional governing body of the church. Ron held leadership positions in Bloomington Rotary, including president and assistant governor. He was proud to be a part of the revitalization of the Bloomington Pops Orchestra and to work with other Rotarians in the creation of Teachers Warehouse. While he was an avid Hoosier fan, Ron lovingly took on the role of “Purdue Grandpa” for his several Boilermaker grandchildren.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents, George and Eleanor Jensen and his younger brother, Gary. He is survived by his wife, Mary, his four children Paul Jensen, Tom (Kathy) Jensen, Nancy (Christopher) Goss, Sara (Edwin) Hasseld, his brother Jack (Karen) Jensen, his brother-in-law Howard (Caroline), eight grandchildren, several grandchildren-in-law, five great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Bloomington on Saturday, May 7th at 2:00 followed by a simple reception. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to Teachers Warehouse or First Presbyterian Church.