Jennifer Jenson

Jennifer Jenson Obituary

Jennifer Jenson, aged 79, died on April 15, 2024 at the SSM Health Monroe Hospice Home. She was born on October 17, 1944, the daughter of Clarence L. and Jeannette Catherine (Walker) Jenson. She grew up in Milwaukee and Racine, WI, graduating from Park High School in Racine. Always up for an adventure, she spent half of her senior year as an exchange student in Germany. She earned a B.A. in German from Northwestern University and an M.A. in education from Northern Illinois University. For 37 years, she taught German, English, and language arts for middle and high school students, mostly in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. She retired from Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove, IL in 2002. She lived most of her adult life in Arlington Heights and Elk Grove Village, IL. She made many wonderful friends at Church Creek Senior Living in Arlington Heights the last year of her life.

She loved reading and telling stories. She collected folk tales from around the world; worked occasionally as a professional storyteller; and shared her love of good stories (and bad puns) every day with her students, neighbors, friends, and family. In retirement, she was an enthusiastic crafter and cook. She loved origami, her water aerobics class, her book club, and spending time with her family, including the grand dogs. Always an educator, she tutored recent immigrants in English for many years.

She is survived by her 3 sisters: JoAnn Sawyer, Judy Hewitt, and Nancy Ellen Hult (David); 2 daughters: Heather Gail Duran (Jim) and Erin Ann Smith; 3 grandchildren: Abigail Leigh Duran Hanvey (Jesse), Rebecca Michelle Bleitz (Evan), and Andrew James Duran (Riley); one great grandson: Calvin James Hanvey; and 5 nieces and nephews: Mark and Peter Hult, Chris Hewitt, Becky Connors, and Jennifer Sawyer.

The memorial and celebration of life service will be held on Monday 17 June at the Morton Arboretum (4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, IL 60532). The service and luncheon will be in the Sycamore Room of the Visitor Center West Pavilion from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Guests should identify themselves as part of the Jenson memorial service at the entrance gate to avoid admission charges.

https://mortonarb.org/visit-the-arboretum/parking-and-directions/

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Jennifer’s memory to her favorite charity, Habitat for Humanity, or to the SSM Health Monroe Hospice Home, which lovingly cared for her the last month of her life.