Andrew Jenson

Andrew Udell Jenson, 100, peacefully passed away in the early morning of Thursday, February 22, 2024, at

the Northern Pines Care Center in Cut Bank, MT.

He was born October 5, 1923, in Mountain Home, UT, to Dorothy Jorgenson and Swen Albert Jenson. Andy

was ninth of ten children: Lillian (Alta) Stott; Rayda Stevenson, Albert (Ole), Evelyn (Pete) Bleazard, Lula

Mortensen, Neomia (Pat) Schenk, Utahna, Ona Rosenberger, and Hal.

In 1928, the Jensons were among more than a dozen families who moved to Montana to farm in the Bynum

area. Andy attended school in Bynum, worked on the family farm, raised rabbits, played the trumpet in a band,

and occasionally got himself in trouble – including the time a speaker at church left the pulpit to confiscate the

bag of candy Andy and Hal were noisily enjoying.

After graduating from Teton County High School in 1942, Andy attended radio school in Spokane, WA, where

he learned Morse Code and radio operation. In 1944, he was voluntarily inducted into the Army Air Corps with

the intent to be a pilot. After basic training, he was reclassified and trained as a radio mechanic gunner

because there were too many pilot candidates. After completing gunnery school, Andy was promoted to

Corporal and ordered to Lemoore Air Force Base near Fresno, CA.

Andy met the love of his life, Charlene Maxine Williams, at a New Year’s Eve dance in Visalia, CA. They were

married June 2, 1945, in Salt Lake City, UT; later solemnized in the Cardston Alberta LDS Temple on October

25, 1962. During their 75 years of marriage, they were inseparable in their faith, work, challenges, and

successes.

After 14 years of farming in Agawam, they moved into Choteau and together owned and operated Andy’s

Appliance Center until 1993. For years, Andy traveled throughout the area repairing and installing televisions,

appliances, and satellite dishes. He was a respected and honorable businessman who often undercharged

customers when he saw a need.

Together, Andy and Charlene raised seven children, each of whom he declared to be his “favorite.” Charlene

passed away on May 17, 2021; at her passing, he was heard to say, “I’ll see you soon, dear.” They are surely

having a grand reunion, where they are dancing again while Andy softly sings one of his love songs to her.

A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Andy served in many capacities including

Sunday School Superintendent and Bishop of the Choteau Ward from 1970 to 1977. He has a sure testimony

of a Father in Heaven who loves him and a certainty that families are eternal through the sealing power of

Jesus Christ. As a man of God, his life was filled with service to others; he was frequently called upon to

minister to the ill, speak at a funeral, and counsel with those who were suffering.

There truly were no strangers in Andy’s life – only friends yet to be met. He would talk for hours about his faith,

family, and love of this country to anyone who would listen. He loved a good prank, was quick with a joke, and

was always whistling a tune; his many quips are now family treasures. Andy didn’t know how to not work; he

was still cutting firewood, climbing on the roof to clean the chimney, and lifting his handmade weights until just

a few years ago. He could jerry-rig anything and find a use for every scrap of tin or empty container – often for

the birds and squirrels he befriended in his yard. He was an expert at growing raspberries and roses, and he

loved chocolate shakes, M&Ms, and Charlene’s chocolate pie.

Andrew is survived by four of his children, Sheila Arensmeyer, Cut Bank, MT; Michael, Boise, ID; Randy, Great

Falls, MT; and Toni, Melbourne, KY; son-in law, Richard (Fay) Beckman, Boise, ID; daughter-in-law, Sherri

(Darrell) Hadder, Gilbert, AZ; and sister-in-law, Ilene Jenson, Choteau; 28 grandchildren, and numerous great-

grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife, parents, siblings; children, Cathy Lynn Beckman, Steven

Udell Jenson, and Linda Kaye Jenson; son-in-law, Edward Arensmeyer; and great-granddaughter, Kirsten

Arensmeyer.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, February 26, 2024, at The Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints in Choteau with visitation before at 10:00 a.m. Burial with military honors will immediately

follow at the Choteau Cemetery. Services are under the care of Asper Funeral Home.