Dorothy Florence Shumway Jensen
Jan. 11, 2018
Dorothy Florence Shumway Jensen passed away peacefully on Dec. 31, 2017. She was born Jan. 3, 1931 in Omak, Washington to parents Edwin Elias Shumway and Ina Mabel Peasley.
She was raised in the Omak area, working with her family in the apple orchards and helping take care of her younger sister, Lola Lee Shumway. She graduated from Omak High School and went to Spokane, Washington for nurses training. While attended nursing school she met Ray A. Jensen on a blind date. They fell in love and were married on July 25, 1951, just before he shipped off to Japan with the Air Force.
Upon his return they lived in Spokane where their two children were born. After a couple of years they were transferred to Moses Lake, Washington, and while there she worked at the Lamb-Weston Potato Plant. She saved for the down payment on the farm they purchased in Mt. Pleasant, Utah.
After several years they were transferred to March AFB in Riverside, California where she became the manager of the Base Exchange, while she continued to raise her family. Several times Ray had overseas assignments and Dorothy was left to raise the family on her own.
Dorothy and her children moved to Mt. Pleasant for one year and lived on their farm while Ray served in Thailand. From there he was transferred to Naha Okinawa Air Force Base where they joined him and lived for two years. While living in Okinawa she learned to make ceramics and made beautiful handmade items. She was an excellent seamstress and made clothes for the whole family and enjoyed shopping in the open markets for beautiful fabrics.
She also made beautiful wedding cakes and taught cake decorating classes. She was always involved in crafts and loved sharing her talents with others. She was very organized and could make anything from start to finish.
They were then transferred to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada for one year until Ray retired. They moved back to Mt. Pleasant and lived on their farm and Dorothy and Ray became active members of their community. People soon learned that if they needed something done they could ask Dorothy and it would turn out even better than expected! They were very active in building the Senior Citizen Center and served on the board for many years. Crafting became a big part of their lives and they opened a craft store to sell their items.
Dorothy joined the LDS church in Spokane, Washington and became an active member of each ward they attended. Dorothy and Ray were sealed in the St. George Temple on Dec. 11, 1971. She held many positions from primary teacher to Relief Society president and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities to teach others.
Dorothy and Ray loved to travel and explored many countries as well as every backroad in Utah. They loved to go camping, fishing, rock hounding and dancing. They loved to be together. They gathered rocks from all over which Ray would cut and polish and Dorothy would turn into beautiful jewelry. They did everything together; losing Ray was very difficult for Dorothy. She missed him deeply.
She is survived by her children: Steven Ray (Lorraine), Jensen, Fountain Green; and Rebecca Lee (Jorge), Riveros, Mt. Pleasant; grandchildren: Jasmin Jensen; Nichole (Brian), Dutcher; Megan (Bart), Brammer; Alisia (Jason), Conley; Celina Riveros; Nathan Riveros and seen great-grandchildren.
Preceded in death by her parents; husband Ray; sister Lola Lee Davis.
Funeral services were on her birthday, Jan. 3, 2018 at 11 a.m .in the Mt Peasant 3rd Ward. Interment was in the Mt. Pleasant City Cemetery. Online condolences rasmussenmortuary.com.
