Ben K Jensen

Ben Krog Jensen, 76, of Wahpeton, North Dakota, passed away Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at his residence from natural causes.  His memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, January 12, 2023, at Vertin-Munson Funeral Home in Wahpeton, North Dakota.  There will be a visitation one hour prior.  Rene’ Hasbargen will be officiating the service. Burial will take place at the Fargo National Cemetery at a later date.  Arrangements have been entrusted to Vertin-Munson Funeral Home.

Ben was born March 8, 1947, in Denmark to Edgon and Alice (Krog) Jensen. The family lived on a farm on the small island of Fejoe. He was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran church on Fejoe. When he and his twin brother Paul were 12, the family immigrated to Canada, where the first words Ben learned were “shut up.” The family moved to the United States when Ben was 18. Ben then joined the US Air Force and was granted his citizenship while serving one of his 2 tours in Vietnam. While stationed in Grand Forks, North Dakota, he met and married Barb Mahler. They had 2 children, Beth and Kristian. The family lived on air bases in California, Michigan, Germany, and Idaho. His time in the military was a great source of pride for Ben. He even had a large collection of squadron patches he collected from servicemembers he met during his career. After 22 years of service, Ben retired honorably from the Air Force and the family moved to Wahpeton. Ben then went to college and earned his Bachelor’s degree in US History from Minnesota State University Moorhead. He remained a lifelong student of US History. During this time, sadly, his marriage ended. After graduating, he worked as a delivery supervisor for furniture companies in Houston, Chicago, and Cleveland. He left that job to do long-haul trucking. He really enjoyed his years crisscrossing the country. In 2012, Ben moved back to Wahpeton and went to work as a driver for Minn-Dak Farmer’s Co-op. When he stopped driving, he continued to work at Minn-Dak as a dispatcher until he retired after the 2022-2023 campaign.

Ben was preceded in death by both parents and his brother Bjarne.

Ben is survived by his children, Elisabeth (Eric) Schlenk and Kristian (Marcia) Jensen; grandchildren, Mike and Derek Schlenk, Seth Murray, Sasha (Christian) Barrera, Kayli (David) Buckingham, Krista Rensvold, Kalee Jodock and Grady Jodock; great-grandchild, Athena Pauley; brother, Paul Jensen; sister, Annette Jensen and her children; and his former brothers and sisters-in-law, who never stopped seeing him as part of the family.

Ben will be greatly missed for his humor, his big heart, and his warm presence. His children will especially miss the countless games of cribbage when he would accuse them of cheating if he lost.

Family asks in lieu of flowers, please make donations in Ben's honor to the American Diabetes Association.