Richard E Jensen, 76, a resident of
Gouldsboro, passed away on Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at St. Luke’s Hospital, Monroe Campus. He is survived
by his wife of 53 years, Carolyn (Houghton) Jensen.
Born in Ogden, Utah, he was the son of the
late Elmo Ernest and Betty (Arrowsmith) Jensen. After graduation from Ben Lomond High School in Utah,
Richard began working on the railroad following in his father’s footsteps. He soon realized he wanted to
serve his country, and he did so for 15 years, in both the Coast Guard and
Navy.
Richard had a childhood dream of working on
a space shuttle. After a lot of hard work, he was able to make his dream a reality. It all began when
Richard started working for Thiokol where he made shuttle boosters. He was called to the United Space
Alliance to work on a project. The company was so impressed by his work, they kept calling him back and
eventually asked him to come work for them offering to create him a position if he accepted. Richard’s
childhood dream became a reality that day. Not only did he get to work on space shuttles, he also worked
at Kennedy Space Center, sat in the cockpit of the shuttle and created a tool for NASA that they still
use today. To say he lived a fulfilling life is an understatement.
Richard is survived by his sons, Darren
Richard, Matthew Dane and Nathan; his siblings: Brenda Edvalsen, Thomas Jensen, Mary Ann Davis, Wilford
“Bill” Jensen and Pamela Fielding; his 6 grandchildren; 4 great grandchildren and many nieces and
nephews.
A service will be held on Thursday, January
12 at 7:00 pm at Brian Arthur Strauch Funeral Homes and Cremation Services, LLC, 3 First St. in Spring
Brook Twp. A viewing will be held on Thursday, from 5 to 7 pm, also at the funeral
home.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can
be made to Richard’s tribute fund, which could be found by visiting his obituary on the funeral home's
website.
