Steven K Jensen

Steven K Jensen, age 74, passed away of natural causes on June 16, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Steven was born April 28, 1951, in Pocatello, Idaho to James Raymond Jensen and Josephine Rice Jensen. He was the youngest of three boys and his two older brothers greatly anticipated his arrival. Steven was born with cerebral palsy, but his bright and determined spirit made him want to keep up with his brothers, cousins and neighborhood friends. Steven’s parents, Jo and Ray, were great advocates for young Steven and to provide him with better opportunities, relocated the family to Salt Lake City so he could receive therapies from the newly built Primary Children's Hospital. His family supported him in receiving daily physical, occupational and speech therapy to help Steven progress. Steven made steady progress with support from his family and the many specialists who worked with him.

In Salt Lake Steven’s family was introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and at age 8 Steven made the decision to be baptized. At age 12 he chose to have the Aaronic priesthood conferred on him and enjoyed being able to pass the sacrament to his congregation like all of his peers. Steven remained a lifelong member of the Church. He enjoyed serving as a stake missionary and for a period of time he loved attending the temple weekly, as much as he loved a good cup of coffee. Throughout the years he enjoyed celebrating church events and advancements of his brothers, nieces and nephews and friends.

There were no special education programs when Steven was a child, so his mother joined with other moms in hiring their own teacher and creating a small classroom in a Quonset hut at Fort Douglas. Following state funding for special education, Steven attended Columbus Elementary, Glendale Junior High School and later graduated from Columbus. Steven was eager to contribute and work. After graduation he worked for a period of time at Cottonwood Hospital. He later worked for nearly 25 years on the rehabilitation units of LDS and IMC Hospitals. The years working at these 2 hospitals were some of his happiest and he made many friends there.

Not one to make excuses, Steven eagerly attempted any activity in which his family and brothers were involved. His dad made Steven specialized bikes and water skis. Steven tried a variety of activities over the years including camping with Boy Scouts, taking driver’s education, learning to golf and skiing for the first time at age 70. He loved to travel and enjoyed trips to Hawaii with his grandmother, a special trip to England and Scotland with his nephew, Utah football and basketball conference championships with his brother Ron and many other family camping trips. Steven was a lifelong Utah Utes fan. For many years he enjoyed attending Utah football and basketball games. As his health declined, he still enjoyed cheering for his Utes by watching on television. His bedroom was full of Utah memorabilia and they were some of his most prized possessions.

What Steven most enjoyed in life were the relationships he built with others. He had close relationships with both of his brothers and each of his nieces and nephews. In addition, Steven was everyone's favorite friend and cousin. He kept in close contact with many of his family members and always was the one to know what was going on with everyone and have the best family gossip. However, he wasn't always the best secret keeper! He loved celebrating family events including Jensen and Rice reunions and individually celebrating all the milestones of his nieces and nephews and their children including weddings, baptisms, mission farewells, new babies, graduations and many other life events. Outside of his family, Steven made connections with almost everyone he came into contact with. When he was out and about he often ran into friends from different points of his life and could often share a unique story about them. Steven was a good friend and always patient with others when they were seeking to understand him, caring for him or supporting him in communicating.

Steven is survived by his brothers: Ron (Sandy) Jensen and Terry (Karen) Jensen. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews: Curtis, Marti, Jim, Jeff, Christine, Julie, Doug and Jennifer. Steven is also survived by 24 great nieces and nephews and 15 great, great nieces and nephews. Steven is preceded in death by his parents. Steven lived on his own for many years until moving into Harmony House, a group home where he was cared for by numerous amazing caretakers.

Despite his many physical challenges, Steven found strength in working to overcome the trials placed before him and he always did it with a smile.

A viewing will be held on Friday, June 27, from 6:00-8:00 PM at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 E Dimple Dell Road (10600 S) in Sandy. Another viewing will take place on Saturday, June 28, from 10:00-10:45 AM at the Lone Hollow Ward, 2195 Pepperwood Drive in Sandy. The funeral will follow at 11:00 AM. Interment will be at Larkin Sunset Gardens. The funeral will be livestreamed via Zoom and can be accessed by clicking the "Watch Services" button above.