Funeral services for Ardis Jensen will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at First Presbyterian Church in Albert Lea. The Rev. Dwight Netzer will officiate. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, as well as one hour prior to the church on Sunday. Interment will take place at Hillcrest Cemetery.

Ardis passed away Wednesday, May 11, 2016, at St. John’s Lutheran Community. She was 91.

Ardis R. (Nelson) was born May 26, 1924, in Irene, South Dakota, to Richard and Minnie (Morrison) Nelson. She attended and graduated from Marian High School in 1942. She went on to Eastern State Teachers College in South Dakota, where she earned her teaching degree.  Her first job was teaching in Viborg, South Dakota. This is where she would meet her future husband. She then moved to Ramona, South Dakota, where she taught third, fourth and fifth grades. She later moved to Albert Lea where she taught in the Maple Island School District.  She would also work as a teacher’s aide at the Emmons school for a number of years. In her later years, she worked as a home health aide for Freeborn County for several years.

On April 6, 1947, she was united in marriage to Oliver H. Jensen at First Presbyterian Church in Albert Lea. To this union, the couple was blessed with five children. Oliver had a stroke in 1982, and Ardis cared for him every day until the day he passed away. Aside from her love of teaching, Ardis enjoyed gardening, reading and Sudoku puzzles. She enjoyed volunteering with various organizations such as the Girl Scouts, 4-H and at First Presbyterian Church. Ardis always thought of others before herself. She loved her family dearly, and often would call each one of her children every day just to check up on them.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Oliver; parents Richard and Minnie; son in-law, Irv Busman; grandson-in-law, Eric Schaap; siblings Nila (Earl) Taylor and Wanda (Stan) Dowd; a brother in infancy; as well as nephews David Taylor and Michael Taylor.

Those left to carry on her legacy include her children Carol (Gary) Oney of Mankato, Annette Jensen of Faribault, Brenda (Roger) Swanson of Albert Lea, Judy Busman of Chandler and Ramona (Doug) Jacobson of Chanhassen; grandchildren Kristy (Kaleb) Hurley, Jeffrey Swanson, Jessamy Schaap, Andy Busman, Kirsten Jacobson, Megan Busman and Gunnar Jacobson; great-grandchildren Jairus, Izara and Zoe Hurley; brother, Sherman (Pat) Nelson; sister in-law, Phyllis Kerr; as well as many other loving relatives and friends.