Edith Marie Durocher Jensen

Edith Marie Durocher Jensen of Christiansburg, VA passed away Friday, January 17, 2025. She was 84 years old. Born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1940, Edith spent her childhood and teenage years in the Nashville area. After graduating from high school, Edith attended nursing school at Southern College and Madison College, earning a Bachelor’s degree in nursing and becoming a Registered Nurse. A devout Christian, she devoted her life to serving others not only through nursing, but also as a Girl Scout leader, Boy Scout den mother, church organist, Sabbath school teacher, and school volunteer, just to name a few. She was known for her kindness and generosity towards friends, neighbors, and strangers alike, but her greatest joy in life was her family. One example was each summer, for over thirty years, she would rent a beach house at the Outer Banks, where she and her husband, as well as children and spouses and later grandchildren would enjoy a week together. She would look forward to these as early as the prior Christmas, when reservations were due, and the week was always one of the highlights of her year.

Although they had lived across a creek from one another as children, Edith didn’t meet her husband, Don Jensen, until the early 1960’s. Don’s mother, Rubye Jensen, who was head nurse at a hospital where Edith worked, decided to play matchmaker and invited several young nurses over to their farm for a cookout. According to family lore, the first time Edith laid eyes on Don, he was sitting on the back porch of his parents’ farmhouse churning a manual ice cream freezer. They were married in 1964 and were devoted to each other for over 60 years, most of which were spent at their beloved ‘funny farm’ on the outskirts of Christiansburg where they built a beautiful life together. 

Edith loved gardening and showed great care and skill in growing vegetables, fruits, and ornamental plants. She also loved animals. Edith kept feeders for both songbirds and hummingbirds, as well as enjoying the company of many family pets over the years. She was especially close to a rescue dog named Lexie that she adopted in 2012, after which the two soon became best buddies.

She was preceded in death by her cherished husband of over 60 years, Donald R. Jensen, her parents, Elna D. Durocher and Lewis ‘Francis’ Durocher, and her brother, Eugene L. Durocher. She is survived by her four children: Daniel L. Jensen, Donna M. Cain (Cody), Alicia A. Jensen, and Andrew K. Jensen (DeAnna), and three grandchildren: Kristi N. DeNovo (Anton), Christopher A. Cain, and Hannah M. Cain, and numerous nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in her name to one of her favorite charities, ADRA, which provides disaster relief: 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring MD, 20904; www.adra.org.

Family will receive friends on Friday, January 24th  at 12:30 P.M. at Horne Funeral Home, followed by a graveside service at Sunset Cemetery in Christiansburg at 2:00 P.M.