Lehi People
Ruth Jensen’s legacy: a life of sewing, service and survival
Ruth Gray Jensen recently passed away. She left a legacy of hard work, selfless service, and quilts, quilts, quilts.
Ruth was the oldest child of Winford and Veda Gray. She was raised on a farm in south Lehi and learned early the value of hard work. She grew up, as many old Lehi residents did, appreciating the value of hard work and modest means. Her sister, Susan, remembers making Easter baskets out of old Clorox bottles and filling them with treats. “We learned early to bake, can, and make do with what we had, and we loved it,” recalls Susan.
Ruth continued this tradition by becoming a consummate bread and meal maker, but those were not her only talents. Ruth organized her brother and sisters and played games, made skits and programs for the family, not unlike many youth in Lehi’s50s and 60s. Ruth also learned to sew and her prowess at the sewing machine resulted in many, many quilts for children, grandchildren, neighbors and friends. Each of her quilts is a masterpiece made with exactness and precision.
Her love for quilts resulted in one of her infamous “sister retreats” to Hamilton, Missouri and the famous Missouri Star Quilt Company. She loved planning these trips and as Susan said, “We laughed until our muscles were sore. She was so much fun to be with.”
Ruth worked as the registrar at Mountain Ridge Junior High and her expertise on the computer made her an invaluable member of the faculty. She worked tirelessly to make sure every student had a perfect schedule and would create a master schedule for the school, working many hours beyond her shifts. She had an innovative mind, and a knack for problem-solving. According to her colleagues, Ruth was an invaluable member of the staff during her tenure there. District officials noticed her skills and she was asked to be a member of the business management team at the Alpine School District office.
During her stint at Mountain Ridge, she became ill with cancer. She only missed a day or two and continued her duties bringing her chemo bag and needles with her each day. She would not take time off even when she was begged to by her colleagues. She endured the ravages of breast cancer, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, and leukemia. She had a survivor’s spirit and never complained.
Ruth and her husband served at the Missionary Training Center in Provo where their kindness and joyful nature made them favorites with the young men and women serving there. They were about to serve a mission when she was diagnosed with her last bout of cancer. She died just two weeks after treatments began.
Hundreds of friends and loved ones formed lines at her funeral services which were held in Benjamin, Utah, where Ruth andher husband Jerry lived. All paid tribute to this Lehi native who leaves a legacy of hard work, selfless devotion to her faith, and commitment to her family,
