Mary Lewis Jensen

Oct. 4, 1931 – Feb. 18, 2025

Mary Lewis Jensen died early on February 18, 2025.

She was born October 4, 1931, to Rudger Roland Lewis and Bertha Mortensen Lewis and grew up in Cowley.

She graduated from the University of Wyoming and taught home economics in Powell for two years.

She married Maurice Waldo “Wally” Jensen June 11, 1954, in the Idaho Falls Temple. They lived in Laramie as Wally finished his degree at the University of Wyoming, then they moved to Evanston, Wyoming, where Wally taught math. Next they moved to Byron in 1961 where Wally taught math for the rest of his career.

In Byron Mary was involved with the community, church and family and was often the president or a committee member. She also taught fifth grade in Lovell for two years in 1968-1970.

She was involved in politics and served as mayor of Byron from 1980-1984. Pam Hopkinson said she was the “mover behind the Shoshone Municipal Pipeline project, which delivers treated domestic water to Cody, Powell, Lovell, Deaver, Frannie and Northwest rural water.”

She was creative with many homemaking skills including cooking, sewing, gardening and many more. She made handmade quilts for family and lots of clothes when her children were young and even the wedding dress for her daughter Lorraine.

She served two missions with Wally: the first at the Family History Center in Salt Lake City in 1995-1996 and the second in the Peoria, Illinois Mission and served in wards and church sites in Nauvoo. Later Mary and Wally served as ordinance workers for 17 years in the Billings Montana Temple.

They moved to Mattawa, Washington, in 2021 near their daughter Lorraine. Waldo died in Mattawa June 28, 2024. Mary moved to Payson, Utah, to the Orchard View Assisted Living facility near family. 

Her children include Clark (LaRene) Jensen of Casper, Lorraine (Tim) Jenne of Mattawa, Beth (Shane) McAffee of Washington, Utah, Glenn (Cynthia) Jensen of Highland, Utah, Kurt (Heidi) Jensen of Spanish Fork, Utah, and Karen (Cortino) Garcia of Meridian, Idaho. She had 31 grandchildren and 61 great-grandchildren and counting.

Her funeral will be held March 8 at 10 a.m. at the Cowley LDS Ward building. Interment will be at the Byron Cemetery.