Devoted husband, beloved father and grandfather, brilliant optical engineer, relentless joker and master of puns, Arthur Jensen went to be with his savior on October 4 th , 2022 at the age of 81, after a battle with several cardiac complications (his cardiologist claims a paper will be published about the rarity of his co-conditions). He was predeceased by his parents, Arthur and Helen, sister Katherine, and dear son, Stephen. Survived by his adoring wife of over 55 years, “Dearest Betty,”; daughters Leja Lori (Craig) Steinberger, Rebecca (Dana) Krebs, Jennifer (Mark) Barry; grandchildren Kaitlyn, Jonathan, Levi, Caleb, and Annabelle; and great-grandson, Jax.
Arthur was born on January 2, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois and graduated from Glenbard Township High School. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Illinois Institute of Technology and a master’s degree from the University of Rochester. While beginning his career of over 37 years at Eastman Kodak Company in the field of optics, Art met the love of his life, Betty Simpson, and chose to put down roots and start a family in Rochester, NY. In his final hours, he told his beloved Betty, “After I met you, I never looked at another woman again.”
Arthur was truly a genius with an extraordinary mind. He never ceased to think and to solve problems, as evidenced by the hundreds of notebooks full of equations and copious notes from his work on various projects. These projects included supporting the development of testing methods for many large optical systems, including NASA space-based telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Telescope, and the James Webb Space Telescope. Among his accomplishments are earning an achievement award from NASA for his contributions to the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as an award for his contributions to a classified program essential to the safety and security of our country. He was published in several technical journals and was well-respected in his field. Despite his accolades and achievements, he told his dear family, “You are the greatest thing I have ever done.”
Art was a lover of books, all-night movie marathons, fireworks shows, anything in 3D, holograms, Disney World, peak autumn leaves, dad jokes, dominoes and card games, good steak dinners, and apple fritters. He had a special affinity for celestial events, including spectacular sunsets, solar eclipses, meteor showers, and aurora borealis displays, and in his final years, was working on a project to help locate exoplanets. He was a man of great faith in his Lord Jesus Christ and looked forward to the promise of eternity spent in heaven with him. We know that any celestial events he witnessed during his time on earth pale in comparison to what he is now experiencing.
Calling hours will be held on Thursday, October 13th from 2:00-4:00pm with a celebration of life service from 4:00-5:00pm at Rochester Cremation at 1118 Long Pond Road in the Town of Greece. We invite attendees to wear a touch of red, if desired, in honor of Art’s favorite color. A private burial will be held on Friday, October 14 th at a family cemetery near one of Arthur’s favorite fall destinations, Letchworth State Park.