Kirk Jensen

May 24, 1957 – August 1, 2026

Stuart Kirk Jensen, known as Kirk, was born May 24, 1957, in Cedar City, Utah, to Frank T. and Rozena Hutchinson Jensen. He spent his first ten years there with his parents and sister Christine before the family moved to Cottonwood Heights. Summers on his grandparents’ farm in Idaho taught him the quiet value of hard work and the steady rhythms of the land. In 1987 he put down roots in Orem, the place that would hold his life and love for the decades that followed.

A 1975 Brighton High School graduate, Kirk served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in British Columbia, Canada. After returning home he met his future wife, Denise Donelson, at Utah Technical College.  On September 12, 1979, he and Denise were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple, beginning a marriage that would span 47 beautiful years. He later earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreational Therapy and a Master’s Degree in Outdoor Recreation from the University of Utah while also serving in the Naval Reserves.

Kirk spent his professional life lifting others.  He was a Recreational Therapist at the Utah State Hospital, built his own business, then returned to state service.  He led the Recreational Therapy Department at the Utah State Developmental Center, then returned to the Utah State Hospital. Diagnosed with Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma in 2021, he retired from the Utah State Hospital that October, closing a long chapter of quiet, steady service. Even in illness he met each day with resilience and strength, never letting hardship define him.

Nature was more than a passion for Kirk—it was a sacred place of renewal and wonder. He remained one with the mountains, rivers, and open sky all his life: hiking, fishing, mountain climbing, biking, gardening, trail running, kayaking, swimming, camping, river rafting, backpacking, skiing, forest bathing, and bird watching. He loved the earth deeply, gave her his utmost respect, and found serene beauty in all things. In those wild places he found peace, clarity, and a quiet sense of the divine.

Kirk was a devoted husband to Denise and a deeply loving father to Camille, Adam, and Cesiley. He offered his children—and so many others—loving guidance, steady mentorship, and the quiet wisdom of a life well lived. He taught not only with words but with the steady example of his presence, showing the beauty of curiosity, the dignity of hard work, and the strength that comes from loving fully. He carried a lifelong thirst for knowledge and a deep commitment to personal growth, always seeking to understand the world more fully—life, science, spirituality, and the mysteries that connect them all—and to become a better man because of what he learned.

A devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a true servant of the Lord, Kirk held a deep and abiding testimony of Jesus Christ. He believed wholeheartedly in the plan of salvation and the promise of eternal families. Through his fellowship and quiet service he honored the gift of his own humanity and lifted others along the way. He lived as the creator of his own life, striving to fulfill his purpose to the highest degree—and in doing so, he lived fully alive.

Those who knew him will remember the strength of his character, the depth of his curiosity, the warmth of his presence, the many meaningful relationships he created and built throughout his life, and the resilient, gentle way he moved through the world—steady, open, and fully alive in both body and spirit.

He is survived by his wife, Denise; his children, Camille (Andrew) Randolph, Adam (Heather) Jensen, and Cesiley Jensen; his grandchildren, Preston, Jacob, Ava, and Audrey Randolph; Stuart and Mia Jensen; Lucas and Scout Hancock; and his sister, Christine. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank T. Jensen and Rozena Hutchinson Jensen.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 14, 2026, at the Lakeview Stake Center, 450 West 1800 South, Orem, Utah. A viewing will take place from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., with the funeral service beginning at 12:00 noon. Interment will be at Memorial Mountain View Cemetery, 3115 East 7800 South, Cottonwood Heights, Utah.