BOMBER MEMORIAL

JAMES EDWARD JENSVOLD ~ Class of 1962
January 4, 1944 - August 10, 2012



James Edward Jensvold, 68, passed away unexpectedly Friday, August 10, 2012, at his home in Billings, MT. The son of Alvin and Emelie Eliasson Jensvold, Jim was born January 4, 1944, in Portland, OR, days before his father shipped out to the Pacific during WWII.

Jim spent his early years on a small farm in Riverside, south of Roundup, MT. This fostered his lifelong affinity for animals and working with equipment and being outdoors.

He spent his school years in Richland where he was a Boy Scout and paper boy. For a time he delivered two paper routes each day and won a trip to Disneyland for signing up a record number of new subscribers to The Oregonian. In high school he was active in the Future Farmers of America, irrigating and harvesting alfalfa fields and tending ewes during lambing season. Jim graduated from Columbia High School in 1962 and was going to attend his 50 year high school reunion this month.

He attended Columbia Basin College and served in the Marines at Camp Pendleton during the Vietnam War. He worked on construction projects along the West Coast before returning to Montana, where he worked as a large equipment operator at Colstrip Mine for over twenty-five years.

On December 21, 1985, he married Carol Gaabo in Colstrip. After his retirement Jim and Carol moved to Billings, MT. A love of animals was one of their bonds and some of their happiest times were spent with their Arabian horse, Shazam. When Carol became ill, Jim was her faithful caregiver until her death April, 23, 2011.

Jim's survivors include his mother, Emelie Jensvold of Billings; his sister, Judy,('65) and her husband Harry Shaw, of Ithaca, NY; his nephew and niece, Christopher and Katy (Tim O'Carroll), whose visits he always looked forward to. He is also survived by eleven cousins and a close family friend, William Ciarlone.

He was predeceased by his father, Alvin Jensvold, and his wife, Carol.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, August 18, 2012, at 11am in Kathy Lillis Chapel in the Lillis Center, 2429 Mission Way, between Shiloh Road and Poly Drive, in Billings. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made as one chooses or to the Atonement Lutheran Church Building Fund, Rocky Mountain Hospice, or ZooMontana, all located in Billings. Arrangements are by Cremation & Funeral Gallery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www. cfgbillings.com through "Our Families."

Published in Tri-City Herald on August 14, 2012