Jack Russell Jorgensen

Jack Russell "Great Pa" Jorgensen passed away Thursday, March 22, 2018, after having fought the good fight with faith and diligence, then finished the course by rejoining his eternal companion Clara. Born on April 14, 1927 to Holger Wilford and Elsa Marie Jorgensen. He is survived by his three daughters Jan (Richard) Newbold, Marci (our late and beloved Craig) Blight-(Michael) Hogan, Becky (Jeff) Hogan; 10 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren and much-loved brother Jerry (Arjean) Jorgensen. He was preceded in death by his wife Clara (Steinfeldt) Jorgensen, his parents and loving brother Brent and wife Francis Jorgensen, and his son-in-law Craig Blight. Patriarch Jack Russell Jorgensen (ordained 1980) led his life dedicated to his sweetheart Clara, his family and the gospel of Jesus Christ. His commitment to learning, serving and teaching will be a lasting example to all those he knew and loved. Whether it was writing witty love poems to his eternal queen, reading and studying scriptures, serving in the temple, giving thousands of patriarchal blessings, working on carpentry projects for his three daughters, regaling war stories, teaching his grandchildren and great grandchildren valuable lessons, going on drives in his "Crown Vic" to any and all hardware stores, or spending detailed hours in his garden that he deemed "Clara-dise;" the one thing that always stood true for Jack was his service and deep love for our Savior Jesus Christ. During his senior year of High School at Jordan High, he enlisted in the Navy and served as Petty Officer and Pharmacist Mate on the USS Renville during WWII as well as during the Korean War. Upon returning from WWII, he met and married Clara, the crowning blessing of his life in the Salt Lake Temple Sept. 9, 1948. Jack dedicated his career to learning and teaching. He earned his Masters degree at the U of U, was a Biology teacher and Department Lead at Hillcrest High School; a career spanning 36 years. After retiring, he served in the Jordan River Temple, and also went on a service mission to the Utah State Prison with Clara in 1993. Jack's love for his family was sincerely profound. His greatest gesture of love to us was his example of devotion to family and the Gospel. He and Pinky (Clara) would pray for each family member by name daily. He loved each of us with the pure love of Christ. As his family grew, his great grandchildren had trouble saying "Great Grandpa" this lovingly became the nickname "Great-Pa". His legacy for all of us is that he truly was in every sense of the word, a Great-Pa. Funeral services will be conducted at the West Jordan 21st Ward, 7511 South 2700 West on Tuesday, March 27th at 11:00 a.m. where viewing services will be held from 6:00-8:00 p.m Monday March 26th and prior to the funeral service from 10:00-10:30 a.m. with the internment at the West Jordan Cemetery. Place of Birth:Murray, UtahPlace of Death:West Jordan, Utah