Louis Jensen

02/16/1943 — 02/28/2012

From West, Richland, WA, US | Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Louis Jensen

Louis Jensen passed away suddenly of natural causes at his home in West Richland on February 28, 2012, at the age of 69.

Louis was born to Millie Domgaard and Rue Jensen in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on February 16, 1943. He grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado, with his sister Mary. He graduated from Fort Collins High School in 1961. Louis majored in mathematics at the University of Michigan. He received his master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Iowa. He worked for the Forest Service in the summers while in college. For two years, he fought forest fires with a Hot Shot Crew that went wherever it was needed in the West.

Louis moved to the Tri-Cities in 1977. This was the start of a long, successful career at Hanford as a statistician primarily designing sampling experiments for tank characterization. Louis met Donna Lucas at a black-and-white photography class he was teaching. Their love of photography led to their love for each other. Donna and Louis were married in the summer of 1990 and had two children. He was a devoted father and husband, giving first priority to the raising of his children and helping his wife with her many hobbies. He loved music, taking up French horn shortly after retiring. He would sit out on the porch practicing, serenading the wildlife.

Most of Louis' free time went to continually improving his photography skills. Black-and-white large-format photography was his passion. He was dedicated to the craft of traditional film photography and advanced darkroom techniques, shunning the advent of digital photography. He augmented his photo skills by participating in workshops, including classes by John Sexton and Oliver Gagliani. His efforts were rewarded with invitations to display his prints at art shows and local businesses.

Louis' preferred vacation travels took him to the deserts and canyons of the West. He enjoyed the national parks. With his sister, Mary, he took a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. He loved archaeological sites, especially ruins and rock art, which he enjoyed hiking to and photographing. Being a bit of an amateur geologist, Louis always shared his observations of the land formations during family trips.

At their home, Louis and his wife created a large native plant garden. During his last years, Louis accepted the position of president of the Columbia Basin Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society, becoming an important contributor to the mission of that organization.

Louis is survived by his wife, Donna Lucas and two children, Lucas Jensen and Elspeth Jensen, his sister Mary Hagen, and niece Tracy Hagen. He was preceded in death by his parents, Millie Domgaard and Rue Jensen. Viewing was private followed by cremation. A memorial "Celebration of Louis' Life" is being planned.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Washington Native Plant Society www.wnps.org or Northwest Public Radio & Television nwpr.org/support or nwptv.org.

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  • Sorry to hear about Louis’s passing. He was a strong advocate for statistical rigor and a very cogent reviewer of scientific papers. All our best to Donna and the kids. Dan, Carol, and Phil

    Daniel J Strom
    November 4, 2014
    Slavutich, -, Other, -, Ukraine
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