Tamaris Miriam Taylor Jensen

Tamaris Miriam Taylor Jensen, Tammy, passed away on Thursday, August 13, 2026, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 87.

Tammy was born in Farmington, New Mexico on April 25, 1939 to Miriam Ailse Mumma and H. Merrill Taylor. They lived in Lukachukai, Arizona on the Navajo Reservation where they ran the Greasewood Trading Post until Tammy was five. She then grew up in Farmington, where she graduated from Farmington High in 1957 with accolades as a cheerleader, academic, and leader of various clubs. Tammy earned a B.S. in Nutrition from the University of Utah and was a member of the Tri Delta Sorority. After a dietetics internship in the San Francisco Bay Area where she made lifelong friends, Tammy went on to earn a M.S. in Nutrition from UC Berkeley in 1965. She spent a memorable summer working as personal dietician for Bing Crosby and his family. She also traveled with a friend to Southeast Asia, visiting Hong Kong, Bangkok, and unexpectedly, Vietnam, where she stayed and volunteered for the LDS church for several months.

Back in the Bay Area, Tammy met and on June 7, 1969, married Floyd Andrew Jensen. They lived in Ann Arbor, MI and Washington D.C. before settling in Salt Lake City – part way between her family in Farmington, N.M. and his in Portland, OR. They moved into their house on the hill in 1978 and spent the ensuing decades raising their family and living a beautiful life in the Garden Park Ward and Gilmer Park neighborhood. Tammy served as Relief Society President, in the boy scouts, at the Veteran’s branch, and in numerous other callings. She was an attentive and caring neighbor, complimenting yards by nicking a few flowers, yet always showing up with an angel food cake or beautiful bouquet when the occasion was warranted. And always a friendly smile and conversation.

Tammy was a devoted mother to her five children, especially her youngest, Matt. She became a determined advocate for the special needs community, ensuring Matt had every opportunity the other kids did. Having suspended her work in hospital dietetics while raising kids, Tammy employed her can-do mentality and eye for design and beauty in a second profession as a florist.

Tammy loved people and places – she traveled extensively and relished culture, history, architecture, and art. She was an excellent cook and hosted many at her table. Tammy was interested in getting to know anyone she met and was a best friend to many. She also possessed an unparalleled appreciation and spiritual attunement to the natural world. No leaf or flower in golden hour light was too insignificant for her to notice and praise. Sunsets were a daily ritual, announced and observed from her balcony or living room window. Even as Alzheimer’s disease robbed her of memory and cognition over more than a decade, she held onto her extraordinary ability to see beauty all around her and express gratitude for small things and great. Tammy helped care for other residents of her memory care facility when she herself was being cared for. Hers was a beautiful soul.

Tammy is preceded in death by her parents, her sister Merril Lynn Taylor, and her beloved husband Floyd. She is survived by her brother Tom Taylor (Bev), sister Rebecca Rhien (Rob), brother-in-law Don Jensen (Kathy), sister-in-law Karen Jensen, children Eric Jensen, Gregory Jensen (Ann), Jonathan Jensen, Christina Jensen Augustine (Sam), Matthew Jensen, and five adored grandchildren: Savannah S. Jensen, Grady T. Jensen, Hawa R. Jensen Augustine, Ana X. Jensen Augustine, and Emma M. Jensen.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 21, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at the Garden Park Ward, 1150 E. Yale Avenue. The family will hold visitation events at the same location on Thursday, August 20th from 6-8 p.m. and Friday at 12 p.m. prior to the service.

The family would like to thank the amazing staff of Beehive Homes who tirelessly cared for Tammy with grace, good humor, affection, and love over the last few years of her life. We are so grateful.

Those wishing to view the service via Zoom can click "Watch Services" or follow the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86745410175