Jennie Mae Jensen Christensen

January 1, 1930 – February 23, 2020 – (age 90)

Jennie Mae Jensen Christensen, 90, died peacefully at home on February 23, 2020, in the presence of her family.

Jennie was born on January 1, 1930, to Gladys Matkin Jensen and Walter Dale Jensen. She was the first baby born in Cache County that year, the first year a New Year’s baby was recognized by the county.

Jennie was a native of Cache Valley, and attended Logan City schools through Logan High School and Utah State University, working for the school newspaper at both of those schools. Jennie worked for a number of years for the Herald Journal as a news and features reporter.

In 1972 Jennie joined the Cache Valley Media Group as news director and host of several radio programs on station KVNU. It afforded her great opportunities as a broadcaster, from interviewing President Harry Truman to covering First Lady Betty Ford. In 2017 Jennie was inducted into the Utah Broadcasters Hall of Fame, commemorating her 45th year on KVNU. She has been recognized as a Citizen of the Year by Logan City, as a Homecoming Grand Marshall by Utah State University, and received awards from civic and other organizations.

Jennie always had a love for sports, participating when young, and was a devoted Aggie and Jazz fan. She especially enjoyed watching her husband and family participate in sports and activities such as tennis, baseball, football, music and dance. In her earlier years, Jennie was an exquisite knitter and was encouraged by her daughter-in-law to continue on with the craft. She enjoyed outings and get-togethers with family and friends and always made time for grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was enthusiastic about entering contests, and winner of many prizes including appliances, stereos, trips, and even a thoroughbred horse and trip to the Kentucky Derby.

Jennie was a member of the LDS church and married Ross Fredrickson Christensen on May 5, 1949, in the Logan LDS Temple. They were the parents of three sons. Jennie is survived by her brother Rodney Jensen, three sons, Randy (Rhonda) Logan; Kent, Logan; and Scott, Santa Barbara; three grandsons, Dylan (Lisa) Atlanta; Cole (Tammy) Nibley; and Benjamin (Courtney) Salt Lake City, and seven great-grandchildren, Braden, Brooklyn, Carson, Jackson, Easton, Zachary, Lily and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Ross, and a baby sister, Sharon.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 29, at 12:00 noon in the Nelson Funeral Home, 162 East 400 North, Logan, Utah. There will be a visitation from 10:00 – 11:30am before the service. Interment will be in the Hyde Park cemetery.

The family wishes to express their appreciation to the wonderful caregivers from Sunshine Terrace Home Health Care and Hospice. And a special thanks to Doctors Michael Stones and Douglas Smith for their exceptional care for the family through many years.

Condolences and thoughts may be expressed online at www.allenmortuaries.net

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3 Comments

  • Bill Walter February 27, 2020 at 3:52 pm Reply

    I would call in news tips to Jennie, for which she was always appreciative. When she would have illness or health issues and would have to be away from the station, I would call her at home. The first thing she would ask “What’s going on?” Like I had a hot news tip, but I’d just be calling to check on her. It seemed Jennie knew everyone, and would start work before 5a.m. I remember one Crosstalk, her daily call-in talk show, where she was interviewing some hockey guys who were doing something notable. I can’t remember what it was, but Jennie had 2 guests and they gave very short answers. It was like 200 questions but Jennie persevered and got through the interview. She was always interested in what was going on in my life and everyones. A very caring individual.

  • Loralee Choate February 28, 2020 at 9:42 am Reply

    Jennie was not only one of my favorite people to work with at Cache Valley Media Group, but she was also one of of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life. I was one of the earliest people who arrived at studio and she **always** beat me. On the very rare occasion as that she had a doctors appointent, I would walk in and the studio would be darker and it would throw me for a huge loop. Nobody worked harded than that woman.

    She deeply cared about people. She never failed every single morning to ask me how every aspect of my life was going. She remembered the update and status of the health of my parents and situations that I had going on in my life and was probably the best listener I’ve ever met. She had the ability to make you feel like she was completely focused on you and was deeply intrested and anything you have to say

    You could not leave that woman without feeling an uplift in spirit and like you mattered. Since she has retired, I miss our morning conversations more than I can say. I know I am loved here but I don’t know that anyone will ever take as much interest in me as a person as Jennie Christianson dead. She is a true legend and I can only hope to be a fraction of the kind of human that she was. She will continue to be an enduring legacy to this Valley and me personally.

  • Loralee Choate February 28, 2020 at 5:49 pm Reply

    I also wanted to add my favorite memory of Jennie. One morning when I first started in radio I was talking to her and felt kind of discouraged. I told her that I felt that I had just Forest Gumped my way into this position and and I was so much older than everyone who started radio because I was almost 40. She told me that she was my exact same age when she started in the business and she thought it was great that someone with maturity and some life experience was coming in to work. It made me feel a lot better about myself and boosted my confidence. I just loved that woman.

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