Pearl Jensen

Jun 30, 1927 -

May 2, 2024

On May 2, 2024, Pearl Jensen passed after nearly 97 years of an active, full life. Born Pearl Maurine Vasanoja, in 1927, to Lawrence and Helen Vasanoja in Duluth, Minn., Pearl was the fourth in a family of five children.

At the age of 8, Pearl, with her family, set out to make their way as colonists in the Matanuska Valley, part of the government's "New Deal." As the story goes - they traveled by train to San Francisco, then by steamship to Seward, and finally by train to Matanuska, only to find that their promised house was not yet built. They lived in a tent well into the winter.

Pearl grew up in Palmer, building long-lasting friendships with the other "Colony Kids." She was working at the co-op soda fountain where she met George Kendall, an attractive navy man. They were married soon after and spent the next few years in Fairbanks at Ladd Field, then Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, then back to Alaska. They had four children together. Pearl found herself single when an illness ended her marriage. A devoted mother, she raised her children to be strong, self-reliant individuals.

Pearl later married Elvin Jensen. With Elvin's career with the Dept. of Defense, Pearl was afforded many opportunities to travel. She and Elvin lived in Colorado and Virginia and visited many countries in Europe and Asia. They returned to Alaska in the early 1980s.

Pearl was an avid reader of books. She enjoyed homemaking, needlepoint, gardening and swimming. She was particularly proud of her "50 mile" swimming certificate. Her favorite pastime was in telling - and re-telling - stories of her early days in Palmer. The friendships she made as a child endured and were rekindled when she attended "Colony Days" each summer in Palmer.

Pearl was preceded in death by her husband, Elvin Jensen; and an infant daughter, Shirley Kendall.

She will be sorely missed by her surviving children, Barbara Maki, George (Carolyn) Kendall and Karen (Aubrey) Markham. Her five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren will miss visiting her and raiding her always-full candy dish.

With her roots in Palmer, her last wish was to be placed in the columbarium wall at the Palmer Pioneer Cemetery - in the exact niche chosen by her - the one with the best view of Pioneer Peak.