1924
William
2010
William Jensen
June 28, 1924 — April 28, 2010
William J. (“Bill”) Jensen
Bill Jensen, 85, Prairie Village, died April 28, 2010 of heart failure. A memorial service will be held at 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City, MO. There will be a reception following the service in the church lobby. The family requests no flowers and that any contributions be made to the charity of your choice.
Bill was born June 28, 1924, in Chicago, IL and raised in Glen Ellyn, IL. He began his undergraduate education in the fall of 1942 at the University of Illinois. As the country mobilized for World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, where he served from 1943 until June 1946, rising to the rank of First Lieutenant. He returned to the University of Illinois to complete his undergraduate education, graduating in 1948. He financed his education through the GI bill, and by founding and managing a dance band, the “Bill Jensen Orchestra.” He also played tenor saxophone in the nationally renowned University of Illinois marching band.
Following his undergraduate education, he attended the Harvard Business School, again on the GI bill, and was named a Baker Scholar for academic achievement. After receiving his MBA in 1950, he held positions with different businesses in Chicago and Detroit, before moving to Kansas City in 1956 to join the Butler Manufacturing Company as Assistant to the Vice-President of Marketing. Over the next 25 years Bill rose through the ranks to become Senior Vice-President of the Agricultural Equipment Group and a member of the Board of Directors.
Prior to moving to Kansas City, in the fall of 1951, Bill met the person who would become his life partner—Catherine (“Catie”) Mattson, who had grown up just a few blocks away (though a few years later) from his childhood home in Glen Ellyn. They married in November 1952, and quickly started a family. They had three children, raising them in Prairie Village.
Bill retired from Butler in 1982. Though diabetic for over 40 years, through conscientious attention to diet and exercise, and the attentive care of his wife Catie, he maintained good health throughout his retirement. Until 2007, he played tennis several times a week, and as recently as February 2010 walked two miles each day. Only in the last few months did his health begin to decline, but he passed away without extended illness.
A person of many interests—music, history, photography, travel, sports—Bill had great intellectual curiosity and always enjoyed a vigorous but good-natured debate. He prided himself on his independence of thought and belief. In his final years, he marveled at the accomplishments of his grandchildren, following their development and achievements with great interest and pride.
Bill is predeceased by his wife Catie, who passed away in 2005 as a result of complications from a stroke. He is survived by his son Dave and his wife Rachel, of Detroit, MI; his son Doug and his wife Bridget of New York City; his daughter Betsy Bautz and her husband Jay of Mission Hills, KS; and his seven grandchildren: Max, Tali, Eli, Peter, Hanna, Sarah and Thomas.
Share a memory, sign an online guestbook, or express your condolences at www.overlandparkchapel.com
Bill Jensen, 85, Prairie Village, died April 28, 2010 of heart failure. A memorial service will be held at 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City, MO. There will be a reception following the service in the church lobby. The family requests no flowers and that any contributions be made to the charity of your choice.
Bill was born June 28, 1924, in Chicago, IL and raised in Glen Ellyn, IL. He began his undergraduate education in the fall of 1942 at the University of Illinois. As the country mobilized for World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, where he served from 1943 until June 1946, rising to the rank of First Lieutenant. He returned to the University of Illinois to complete his undergraduate education, graduating in 1948. He financed his education through the GI bill, and by founding and managing a dance band, the “Bill Jensen Orchestra.” He also played tenor saxophone in the nationally renowned University of Illinois marching band.
Following his undergraduate education, he attended the Harvard Business School, again on the GI bill, and was named a Baker Scholar for academic achievement. After receiving his MBA in 1950, he held positions with different businesses in Chicago and Detroit, before moving to Kansas City in 1956 to join the Butler Manufacturing Company as Assistant to the Vice-President of Marketing. Over the next 25 years Bill rose through the ranks to become Senior Vice-President of the Agricultural Equipment Group and a member of the Board of Directors.
Prior to moving to Kansas City, in the fall of 1951, Bill met the person who would become his life partner—Catherine (“Catie”) Mattson, who had grown up just a few blocks away (though a few years later) from his childhood home in Glen Ellyn. They married in November 1952, and quickly started a family. They had three children, raising them in Prairie Village.
Bill retired from Butler in 1982. Though diabetic for over 40 years, through conscientious attention to diet and exercise, and the attentive care of his wife Catie, he maintained good health throughout his retirement. Until 2007, he played tennis several times a week, and as recently as February 2010 walked two miles each day. Only in the last few months did his health begin to decline, but he passed away without extended illness.
A person of many interests—music, history, photography, travel, sports—Bill had great intellectual curiosity and always enjoyed a vigorous but good-natured debate. He prided himself on his independence of thought and belief. In his final years, he marveled at the accomplishments of his grandchildren, following their development and achievements with great interest and pride.
Bill is predeceased by his wife Catie, who passed away in 2005 as a result of complications from a stroke. He is survived by his son Dave and his wife Rachel, of Detroit, MI; his son Doug and his wife Bridget of New York City; his daughter Betsy Bautz and her husband Jay of Mission Hills, KS; and his seven grandchildren: Max, Tali, Eli, Peter, Hanna, Sarah and Thomas.
Share a memory, sign an online guestbook, or express your condolences at www.overlandparkchapel.com
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