Rayel Jensen

Rayel Jensen, 83, left this life on November 8, 2019 surrounded by his loving family to be reunited with his eternal sweetheart, Jerrianne. He was welcomed on the other side with open arms by his wife Jerrianne, dad Ray Lewis Jensen, mom LaPriel Sherratt Jensen, brother Lloyd D. Jensen, granddaughter Stormi Rae Jensen and grandson Nate Harward.

Rayel was born on October 8, 1936 (or 1935 depending on what birth certificate he decided to use) at his grandmother's home in Cedar City, UT. He moved with his mom and little brother to Salt Lake City when he was a young boy and soon conquered the streets of the city. Rayel and Jerrianne Orr were teenage sweethearts and married in March 1954. They moved to Sandy, UT in 1960, where they raised their five children on Mountain View Drive. It was important to them both to have their family with them forever, so their marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple.

One of Rayel's first jobs was as a pinsetter in a bowling alley earning $1 an hour. He quickly realized that wasn't going to be enough to feed his growing family, so he stepped into the construction trade. Rayel owned or co-owned several construction companies, Triangle Drywall, Dunn-Rite Drywall and Dimension Drywall, where he was instrumental in building houses, hospitals, schools, malls and businesses throughout the state. His reputation as an honest, dependable and hardworking man followed him everywhere. He certainly taught his children by example how to have a strong work ethic.

Rayel enjoyed skeet shooting and was president of the Salt Lake Gun Club for a several years. He was obsessed with his yard and proudly mowed his lawn to perfection every weekend. He also grew fabulous flower and vegetable gardens and shared the harvest of vegetables with his family and neighbors. Rayel liked to go "smoke the dog" and could often be found working on a project in his shop. Countless great talks were had with him while he puttered around in his shop or garage. He loved boating and many happy weekends were spent with his family waterskiing and camping.

Rayel had timeless good looks and a fantastic sense of humor right up to the very end. He had a rich imagination and one never knew whether the stories he shared were 100% accurate. He was well known for his stories of being in the French Air Force and many of us didn't find out until we were much older that these references were very much fabricated.

Rayel left a lasting impression on everyone he met with his infectious personality and was loved by many. But, most of all, Rayel was adored by his children and grands. Each of his grandchildren and great grandchildren had their very own special relationship with their grandpa. Grandpa the Great will live forever as Super Man in their hearts.

Rayel will be greatly missed by his children Debby (Randy) Jentzsch, Sheril Bolliger, Ken (Sharon) Jensen, Alicia (Bob) Lynn, Ron (Ricardo) Jensen; his grandchildren Jami, Jared, Kasey (Ryan), Alex (Paige), Jennica (Corben), Misty, Ciara (Bryan); and his great grandchildren Kenyan, Bryton, Riley, Ayden, Hudson, Nola, Crozly, Oakland and Madden.

The family is grateful for the loving care he received from the people at Wentworth at Willowcreek Memory Care in the last stage of his life and for his friends at Mt. Jordan 2nd Ward for their love and support through the years.

Services will be held on Thursday, November 14 at 11:00 am, Mt. Jordan Ward House, 9331 S. 300 E., Sandy, UT. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Interment Sandy City Cemetery, 9000 S. 700 E., Sandy.

He didn't tell us how to live; he lived and let us watch him do it.