Our beloved Mildred passed away peacefully on April 24th at her home in Gig Harbor, WA surrounded by loved ones. Born Mildred Ives Russell on July 3, 1932, in Tacoma, WA, she was a loving daughter of Mary Bartlett Baker Russell and George Ford Russell Sr. She had two siblings, her twin brother George Ford Russell Jr. of Tacoma, WA, and her older sister Mary B. Russell
Dodd of Ridgefield, WA. Mildred, or Millie as friends and family called her, graduated from the Annie Wright School in 1950, went on to attend the University of Washington where she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, and then attended Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, VA, where she majored in drama and speech and enjoyed her position
as a Program Director and Continuity Writer with the college radio station. In 1954, she met and married Victor Keith Jensen of Detroit, MI, who was a Marine Corps Officer at Quantico, VA. The marriage lasted 19 years and produced her beloved sons; Michael P. Jensen of Palm Springs, CA, David K. Jensen of Gig Harbor, WA, Christopher S. Jensen of Poway, CA, and Daniel
C. Jensen of Newcastle, WA. Millie’s greatest joys were her four sons, her loving family, her work with handicapped children, her loyal friends, and her beloved dog Nuska. Millie thoroughly enjoyed her 7 years of work as a therapy assistant to severely handicapped children at the Hauck Center in Kirkland, WA, and later at the Denali School in Anchorage, AK. Her activities and organizations included RSVP, AARP League of Women Voters, Junior League of Tacoma, the Eugene Women’s Choral group, and her service as a Hospice volunteer. Millie was an avid 3-mile runner during her years living in Eugene, OR, and she also enjoyed gourmet cooking classes, guitar lessons, singing, ice skating, playing tennis, and her many boating excursions around Puget Sound with her family aboard the “Keewaydin”. Her charities included Special Olympics, the Humane Society, Hospice, several Cancer research organizations, and the Betty Ford Center. She is survived by her brother George (Dion), her sister Mary, her sons Michael (Rita), David (Bonnie), Christopher (Sonja), and Daniel (Kenza); 17 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends. Her life’s motto was “One Day at a Time.”
Millie will be greatly missed by all who loved and adored her. Donations to the above are appreciated in lieu of flowers or gifts.
