Gary Jensen
Active member
As some of you may know, I was notified by my Dad last Saturday morning that my older sister by one year hand unexpectedly pasted away. I immediately packed my suit case and headed for home in central Iowa.
The sudden loss was extremely painful and we had a lot of support from friends and family.
To know my sister Wendy, you would already know that she was very small in stature (4'8" and 85lbs) due to Turners syndrome. Wendy had very strong Chistian beliefs and donated many hours of volunteering to Bethesda Lutheran church in Ames Ia. I also was aware of countless hours volunteering at Mary Greely Hospital in Ames. Wendy was also very active in the Iowa Republican Party. She literally made 100's of thousands of phone calls for the Republican candidate of her choice. Wendy often commented on her work with the party but never, ever mentioned to the family, how involved she was and the extent of her friendships through the Republican party.
My lack of knowing the extent of her involvement became clear this past week with preparation of her funeral.
We began receiving numerous calls from all over Iowa, including a call from Governor Branstads office with condolences to the family. We also received a call from Senator Santorums office, informing us that he would like to provide about 2 minutes of his thoughts about Wendy at the funeral. Unbeknowst to me, my sister had become close friends with the family and especially close with his children.
Wendy's funeral was yesterday, and her friends from the Republican party, family, old classmates were present, along with Governor Branstad, the lieutenent governor, and Rick Santorum.
My tiny sister Wendy also was recognized on WHO radio talk show with an interview with Senator Santorum. There was about 30 minutes devoted specifically to Wendy.
I am very proud of my tiny sister and the hearts that she touched. She was a year older than me which makes her my Big sister. She was small in stature but had the heart of a lion, and the compation of a lamb.
RIP Wendy,,,you will always be missed and always in my heart.
http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.co...ber-volunteer/
The sudden loss was extremely painful and we had a lot of support from friends and family.
To know my sister Wendy, you would already know that she was very small in stature (4'8" and 85lbs) due to Turners syndrome. Wendy had very strong Chistian beliefs and donated many hours of volunteering to Bethesda Lutheran church in Ames Ia. I also was aware of countless hours volunteering at Mary Greely Hospital in Ames. Wendy was also very active in the Iowa Republican Party. She literally made 100's of thousands of phone calls for the Republican candidate of her choice. Wendy often commented on her work with the party but never, ever mentioned to the family, how involved she was and the extent of her friendships through the Republican party.
My lack of knowing the extent of her involvement became clear this past week with preparation of her funeral.
We began receiving numerous calls from all over Iowa, including a call from Governor Branstads office with condolences to the family. We also received a call from Senator Santorums office, informing us that he would like to provide about 2 minutes of his thoughts about Wendy at the funeral. Unbeknowst to me, my sister had become close friends with the family and especially close with his children.
Wendy's funeral was yesterday, and her friends from the Republican party, family, old classmates were present, along with Governor Branstad, the lieutenent governor, and Rick Santorum.
My tiny sister Wendy also was recognized on WHO radio talk show with an interview with Senator Santorum. There was about 30 minutes devoted specifically to Wendy.
I am very proud of my tiny sister and the hearts that she touched. She was a year older than me which makes her my Big sister. She was small in stature but had the heart of a lion, and the compation of a lamb.
RIP Wendy,,,you will always be missed and always in my heart.
http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.co...ber-volunteer/
