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Vera Gail Jensen

Vera Gail Jensen, 81, passed away unexpectedly on Monday July 14, 2025, at her home in Steamboat Springs, Colo. She was born August 7, 1943, at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina, to the late Robert and Jeanette Hunt.

Gail was raised in Blair, Nebraska; she graduated as valedictorian from Blair High School in 1961. She went on to the Universities of Nebraska at Lincoln and Omaha. In Lincoln, she was a member of the Madrigal Singers and the Chi Omega sorority.

After completing her degree in microbiology she worked at the Memorial Community Hospital in Blair, starting and running the hospital microbiology laboratory. Subsequent to her work in the hospital, she and her daughter Abby ran JSN Equine Enterprises, breeding, training and showing horses across the country.

She had a strong altruistic orientation, serving on multiple non-profit boards over the course of her life. She served on the Board of Directors of Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports for over a decade, helping to oversee the funding and construction of the Stars Ranch. She served on many other boards, including the Arabian Horse Association where she helped to found the Youth National Championships — now in their 32nd year. Gail was an owner and board member of Great Plains Communications for many decades, where she held firmly to her guiding principle: equitability across client, employee and ownership groups.

‍Gail loved being with her family, with her animals, and singing soprano in the United Methodist Church choirs in both Blair and Steamboat Springs. She was known by all of her family and friends as a delightful hostess, often bringing substantial groups of family and friends together in her home; she also enjoyed having friends and family stay with her for extended periods. She was a member of the Yampa Valley Singers and performed with them at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Gail was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Jeanette Hunt.

She is survived by her daughter, Abigail Jensen; son, Troy Jensen and wife Sasha Jensen; sister, Robley Garrigan and husband Timothy Garrigan; grandchildren, Misha Jensen and Kai Jensen; nephews, Riley Garrigan, Casey Garrigan and wife Valerie Garrigan; grand-nephews, Liam Garrigan, Aiden Garrigan, and Declan Garrigan; and former husband Michael Jensen. ‍

Gail’s celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m., Sunday, August 3rd, 2025, at the Window Ranch in Steamboat Springs, Colo. There will also be a service in Blair, Nebraska, in the coming months; however, a date has not been set for this service.

Memorials can be sent to any of the charities that Gail supported:

Stars, https://www.steamboatstars.com/
Jeanette Hunt Animal Shelter: https://www.blairanimalshelter.org/
Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition: https://coloradocranes.org/
Heart of Steamboat United Methodist Church: https://www.heartofsteamboat.com/give

~~~from obituary courtesy of the Washington County, Nebraska Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Public Library, Blair, Nebraska ~~~

FindaGrave # 285340722