Wendy Jensen

May 10, 1955 – March 30, 2026

Wendy was born in Ponoka as Wendy Tennis and grew up on a farm near Red Deer Lake with her sisters Susan and Ivy.   After high school, she moved to Red Deer, where she met her husband, Eric.  They were married in October 1975 and celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary this past fall.  After Cheryl (Garrett Strom) was born, Eric built the first of many houses in Innisfail for the growing family.  Lisa (Steven Groves) and Lance (Ali) soon joined the family.  Wendy worked to support her family and later to support their home building business.  She loved to take the trailer out for the weekend to Kananaskis or Red Lodge Park.

Wendy and Eric decided to retire early in their 40s.  They sold their house and travelled with their truck and trailer in the western provinces in the summer.  One of their most memorable trips was to Alaska.  They would drive their truck south to Bucerias, Mexico for the winter.  Their days were spent taking long walks on the beach, playing frisbee and visiting friends they met in the area.

In 2017, Wendy and Eric decided to change their nomadic lifestyle and purchased their home in Red Deer.  Their new home kept them busy with extensive renovations to the upstairs, exterior, basement and in the yard.  The yard was a fabulous bloom of flowers in the summer and produced a bounty of vegetables that would feed them throughout the summer and enough potatoes to last the winter.  She loved growing pumpkins for her grandkids, Grace and Sam Jensen and Henry and Hannah Groves.  The grandkids were an absolute joy to Wendy.  She loved spending time with them and loved to talk about how unique, special and wonderful each one of them are.

Wendy was outgoing and loved to chat with anyone she met while out doing her shopping.  We have yet to meet anyone that smiled and was as happy and positive a person as Wendy.  She loved to laugh and it was not uncommon to get her laughing so hard that she was crying.

Wendy enjoyed a good deal and getting bargains.  Her most famous bargain was the Christmas tree purchased in 1974 and still going, although with some minor duct tape adjustments.  She was a happy buyer and seller on kijiji, facebook marketplace and at garage sales.  She would happily regale you with her latest deal on eggs or butter from Shopper’s Drug Mart.

She was her happiest at family gatherings and would start planning early for Christmas, including baking everyone’s holiday favourites.  She would be buzzing with anticipation in the week leading up to a family event because she was so excited to have her family together.

Wendy made fabulous raspberry jam and was a talented quilter.  She loved her family traditions, which included stopping for ice cream at Sicamous when passing through.

Wendy passed in Red Deer from cancer.  The family is thankful for the talented and dedicated staff at the Red Deer Hospital and the incredibly kind and compassionate staff at the Red Deer Hospice.  A celebration of life will be held later in the summer, when her garden will be in full bloom.

• Date : 2026-03-30
• Location : Red Deer Funeral Home