Vale Rod Jensen

Rod and Enid at a happy family gathering...
On Friday I went down to the church to mourn the loss of, and to farewell good friend Rod Jensen, loving husband of Enid and loving father of four wonderful married children and grandfather to their families....
Rod was an emeritus professor of Economics at Queensland uni.
He had been born in Kingaroy (I think I am remembering that correctly), spent some time as a student at Gatton College, became a teacher, studied for university at night while married.
They had lived at Inala, New Zealand, overseas, and spent time at New England Uni at Armidale, as well as UQ.
I met them at Kenmore Uniting, and played tennis with them. Enid and Rod were amazing supportive friends. We will miss Rod greatly, as will his lovely wife Enid, and the large extended family.
His service was well attended, with people overflowing out the doors! As well, as all the activities I had heard about, I also learned that he had learned to fly light aircraft. He was an amazing, but very humble, modest and down to earth man. He and Enid would get together with another friend and I and play cards each week, until earlier in the year when I went to the US, even though at that stage he was having trouble picking up the cards from the pack. He fought a gallant battle with the disease that finally took his life..motor neurone disease. But his fun loving attitude, serious dedication to family, friends, work, social justice and his church will be remembered for ever. Not to mention tennis. I had the honor of playing tennis with Rod, in an open tennis group that was started by Rod after he had had a heart attack at a fairly early age. And it was a fun time. We miss you there Rod.

I thought a remark by his daughter Dianne who read the eulogy along with brother Peter, very apt...

"Dad was a little worried by funerals that went on too long...and I can hear him saying...'That's enough now, love. Stop now, and let the people have their cup of tea'." And she did, and we did.

It sums up life at the Jensen family home..if ever you happened to visit, you were invited in for a cuppa...on the lovely back verandah of their old Queenslander lately...or whatever home they happened to be living in!

Vale Rod. And may God bless Enid and her large loving family. May they and your friends be there to support you through this time of mourning and loss.