Our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend, Joan Kay Jensen Vanden Bosch, passed away peacefully on June 4, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.

She was born in Brigham City, Utah on September 9, 1938, to her parents, Nello C. Jensen and Ruby Marie Jeppesen. She was the second of six children and is survived by her brother, Randall Jensen, along with her three children, Melanie Stokes (Marty) Johnson, Curtis (Paige) Vanden Bosch, and Shara Lee (Todd) Smith, 13 grandchildren, and 30 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Nello C. Jensen and Ruby Marie Jeppesen and her siblings, Carol, Charles “Charlie,” Katherine “Kathy,” and Marie. What a tender homecoming it must have been as she was reunited with her parents, brother, and sisters. We take comfort in knowing that families are eternal, and that Joan is now surrounded by loved ones who have gone before her, waiting to welcome her home.

As a senior before graduating from Box Elder High School, Joan went to work at Bell Telephone Company as an operator. When the office closed, she transferred to Ogden and continued working there. Not long after, she shared an apartment with some girlfriends, a decision that would change the course of her life. One day, their friend Larry Leatham stopped by and told them his best friend had just returned from the army and wanted to go on a double date to Lagoon. He asked if anyone would go. Joan, always up for something new, said yes. That night she met David Vanden Bosch. The group of friends spent time together for several months before Joan and David grew serious, and their story together began.

On April 28, 1961, Joan and David were married in the Logan Utah LDS Temple. They shared 64 years together before David’s passing in 2025, building a life rich in service, family, and adventure. They loved traveling across the United States in their motorhome, making memories from Yellowstone and Jackson Hole to Branson, Missouri. No matter where they went, they found joy in simply being together.

Joan was a natural teacher and a determined businesswoman. She purchased Shirley’s Knits, a knitting machine shop on Washington Boulevard in Ogden, from Shirley McKibbon. After several years, she transitioned the shop to her basement, allowing her to nurture her grandchildren and remain close to family while keeping her business thriving. There she trained hundreds of women in knitting and created a community of creativity and friendship. She became especially known for her Christmas stockings, knitting thousands of them over the years. Today, those stockings hang in homes around the world as tokens of her love and craft.

She also worked for a season or two at the IRS in the evenings while David cared for the children, balancing her work and her family with grace and resilience. Together, Joan and David made their home in Washington Terrace, where they raised their family and became deeply rooted in the community.

Most every day, Joan could be found keeping her standing appointments with Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, and Judge Judy. She rarely missed episodes. Watching Jeopardy! with Grandma was always entertaining because she somehow knew the questions to the answers the rest of us didn’t even understand! For a woman without a formal college education, her knowledge was astonishing. More than one of us walked away convinced she had secretly memorized an encyclopedia. She could solve Wheel of Fortune puzzles with only three letters on the board and usually agreed with Judge Judy before the verdict was announced, reminding all of us that intelligence comes in many forms.

Joan’s greatest joy was her family. She was not only a devoted mother, but also a beloved grandmother who would do anything for her grandchildren. To many of them, and even to some of her great-grandchildren, she was like a second mother. She babysat often, took them out to eat, and filled their lives with laughter and love. Christmas at Grandma’s house was legendary, almost like having a second Christmas. She delighted in making the holidays magical, spoiling her grandchildren in the best way possible, and filling her home with warmth and wonder. Every child who walked through her door knew they were deeply loved.

A faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Joan served in many callings and quietly blessed countless lives. She will be remembered for her warmth, her steady devotion, and her ability to create beauty both in the home and in her work. Her faith was matched by a heaven-sent intuition, a quiet gift that guided her choices, allowing her to discern needs, offer comfort, and know the right thing at the right time, blessing all who sought her counsel.

Her legacy will live on in her children and grandchildren, in every Christmas stocking she lovingly created, and in the countless lives she touched with her kindness.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 2 p.m. at Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd. Friends may visit with family on Saturday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the mortuary. Interment, Lindquist’s Memorial Gardens of the Wasatch, 1718 Combe Road, Ogden, UT 84403.

Condolences may be shared at: www.lindquistmortuary.com.