Obituary of Katherine E. Jensen

Katherine Jensen, age 100, passed away Saturday in New York City. Born Katherine Ellen Costin in Lexington, Nebraska, she was raised in the farm community of Willow Island, NE. She was educated at St. Clara's College in Wisconsin and at the University of Nebraska, where she was a member of Theta Phi Alpha sorority and received her B.A. in 1923 and her M.A. in English in 1926. For two or three Summers in the late 1920s, she was "on the road" with the Chautauqua Circuit throughout the South and Midwest as a singer in the Katherine Costin Trio and as an actress. Mrs. Jensen also traveled as an actress with the Redpath Circuit. After that, she taught English at Horner College, Kansas City, MO. She married Richard Jensen, an electrical engineer with General Electric in 1933. They moved to Syracuse in 1946. Subsequent to his death in 1960, she taught English and was the debate and speech coach at St. John the Baptist Academy, Syracuse. During her years there, her students won many awards in speech and debate tournaments on regional and national levels in both the National Forensic and the National Catholic Forensic Leagues. From the late 1940's to the mid 1970's, she was very active in the Baldwinsville Theater Guild as both an actress and director. Mrs. Jensen was a communicant of St. Mary's where she was a lector, choir member, CCD instructor and member of the Altar & Rosary Society. Other interests and activities in Baldwinsville included the Travellers' Club, Friends of the Library, and Female Charitable Society. Her daughter, Cathleen McGinty pre-deceased her in 2001. Survivors: Daughter and son-in-law, Mary Ann and James Curley of New York City; son, Richard A. Jensen of Weymouth, MA; son-in-law, Oisin McGinty of Cicero and eight grandchildren. Services: 9:30am Saturday at Falardeau Funeral Home, Baldwinsville and 10:00am at St. Mary's Church. Burial, St. Mary's Cemetery. Calling hours 2-4 & 7-9pm Friday, August 22, 2003 at the funeral home, 93 Downer Street.