Wilmar Jensen was born in Gustine, California to parents William Henry Jensen and Margaret Alvarnes Jensen. He was the older brother of George W. Jensen. Wilmar grew up during the Great Depression on the West Side surrounded by a large family on both sides, including many aunts, uncles and cousins. He went to grade school and the first year of high school in Gustine where he participated in many school activities and the Boy Scouts. He was proud to have marched with the band in the 1939-40 World’s Fair at Treasure Island. The family moved to Merced and Wilmar graduated from Merced High School in December, 1943 at age 15. During high school he played first trombone in the band and was a member of the debate team. Showing an early demonstration of his strong work ethic, during high school he was a hard working bell boy at the Hotel Tioga in downtown Merced and saved enough money to help put himself through college.
After high school, Wilmar attended college at the University of Chicago, which was at that time being led by Robert Maynard Hutchins and Mortimer Adler, who were proponents of the Great Books and whom Wilmar’s mother admired greatly. Wilmar headed across the country by himself on the train during the height of the Second World War and enrolled in an accelerated program at the University. Experiencing his first bout of freedom, he attended both the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1944. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta, and in 2019, Wilmar received the Diamond Owl Award for 75 years of membership in the fraternity.
Wilmar graduated from the University of Chicago in December 1945 at age 17 with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree, and was at that time one of the youngest people ever to graduate from the University. Immediately afterwards, he turned 18 and was drafted into the U.S. Army. Luckily, the war had just ended so he did not see any combat. After basic training, Wilmar was sent to the Philippine Islands, where he worked as a laboratory technician in a prisoner of war camp taking care of Japanese soldiers.
After serving two years in the army, Wilmar received an honorable discharge in December, 1947 and enrolled in Stanford University using the GI Bill to help with the cost. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford in 1949 and his law degree from Stanford Law School in 1951. At Stanford, he made many lifelong friends. During his time at Stanford Law School, the school was making the transition from local law school to national powerhouse. Former U.S. Supreme Court Justices William Rehnquist and Sandra Day O’Connor were both in the Stanford class of 1952, one year behind Wilmar.
While awaiting the results from the California State Bar Examination in 1951 (he was one of only 38% who passed that year), Wilmar and his brother George drove across the country together, finding odd jobs along the way to pay for the trip. Wilmar established his law practice in January, 1952 in Modesto. Wilmar was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1957. Over the years, Wilmar had several associates and partners, before his son Mark joined him in 1987. They were partners for 36 years, practicing as Jensen & Jensen. Wilmar practiced law for 72 years and was coming into work regularly up until about a month before his passing.
Wilmar married Judith Ann Kirk in 1957 and they enjoyed a long and happy marriage, recently celebrating their 66th anniversary. He credited much of his success and longevity to his good luck in having the support of Judy. They had four children, Mark, Kristine, Kirk and Karen. Wilmar frequently talked of the importance of his family, how much he loved them and how proud he was of all of them. His son Mark is a lawyer and his law partner, his daughter Kristine is an elementary school teacher in Modesto, his son Kirk is a farmer and walnut processor on the West Side, and his daughter Karen, who followed his footsteps to Stanford Law School, is the general counsel for Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
Over the many years of his law practice, Wilmar represented multiple generations of many local families in all walks of life. Wilmar was especially proud of helping to form both the West Side Community Hospital District near Newman, and the Oak Valley Hospital District in Oakdale. He served as the attorney for both Districts for many years. He was also known for helping to form numerous local charitable organizations and nonprofits. Wilmar was well respected by judges, other lawyers and of course his clients. Wilmar was known for his courtesy, kindness and wisdom. He was always a consummate gentleman and until very recently always wore a coat and tie to work. Wilmar greatly valued the contributions made to his successful practice by his excellent and loyal staff. He was a member of the California State Bar, and the American Bar Association for his entire career. He also belonged to the Stanislaus County Bar Association and served as its President in 1961. Wilmar belonged to the Stanislaus County Estate Planning Council and served as President in 1984-85. He was a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law from 1993 to 2023.
Wilmar always had an interest in farming. He and Judy were able to purchase their first farm property in 1968. They bought a walnut orchard in 1973 and over the next several years, Wilmar and all four kids spent many weekends working there, performing all manner of orchard tasks and visiting with Wilmar’s parents at their Newman ranch. In 1980, Wilmar and Judy became partners in Sun Valley Farms, a large egg producing company based in Salida. After leaving the company, he continued in the egg business with a single ranch on Carpenter Road which was managed by his son Kirk. In the 1990’s, Wilmar and Judy began buying more land, growing walnuts and almonds and operating a commercial walnut huller. Together with all of the kids sharing in the ownership, the family farming operation eventually reached nearly 2,000 acres, all of which is managed by his son Kirk. Until his late 80’s, Wilmar continued working at the ranch on the weekends. He credited his exceptional health in large part to his physical activity, being outdoors and regular consumption of walnuts and almonds. Wilmar was a long-time member of many farming organizations, including the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, the California Farm Bureau, Pacific Egg & Poultry Association, Western Growers, and Western Agricultural Processor’s Association.
From his earliest days, Wilmar was a staunch Republican. He served on the Stanislaus County Republican Central Committee for over 50 years, from 1952 to 2005. He worked on many local, state and federal political campaigns. He was campaign chair for Stanislaus County for Ronald Reagan’s successful gubernatorial campaign in 1970. Governor Reagan subsequently appointed him to the California State Board of Mining and Geology, upon which he served for several years. He and Judy also attended the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami as a California Delegate. He made many friends and continued supporting Republican candidates and causes right up until the time of his death. Wilmar received many honors and awards for his dedicated service to the Republican Party.
Wilmar was a proud member of the Masonic Lodge for over 70 years. He served as Master of Modesto Lodge #675 (now part of Modesto Lodge #206) in 1964. He received his 32nd Degree, was a past president of the Scottish Rite, and was a member of the Shrine Club. Wilmar was very proud of helping to establish the new Masonic Temple on Rose Avenue when the group outgrew their downtown location. He received the Hiram Award from his Lodge in 2017. Wilmar and Judy bought a small cabin in Paradise Park Masonic Club in the Santa Cruz mountains in 1971, and they, their children and grandchildren have enjoyed the cabin and the park for many years.
Wilmar was a dedicated supporter of his community. He was a member of the Newman Rotary Club for nearly 70 years, and had perfect attendance for over 65 consecutive years until the pandemic came along. He was a Paul Harris Fellow and served as his club president in 1981-1982. He was a member of the Modesto Jaycees early in his career, and belonged to the Chambers of Commerce in Modesto, Oakdale, and Newman where he had his law offices. He served on the boards of numerous local nonprofit organizations, including the Memorial Hospital Foundation, Sutter Gould Medical Foundation, the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, and Townsend Opera Players (now known as Opera Modesto). He supported Community Hospice and served for many years on its board of directors. In 1998, Community Hospice honored Wilmar with the Julio R. Gallo Humanitarian Award. Community Hospice also honored Wilmar and Judy with the John & June Rogers Philanthropic Award in 2016. He and Judy have long been generous supporters of these and many other local organizations. They have also been members of Del Rio Country Club for over 60 years. Wilmar always planned to play more golf, but his dedication to the law practice and the farming business took up too much of his time to allow for the development of a good golf game!
Wilmar and Judy traveled to many places together and with various friends and tour groups. They greatly enjoyed seeing the world and learning about new places, peoples and cultures. They were very grateful to have been able to take their entire family, including kids, spouses and grandkids on a family cruise each year from 2006 to 2019. The family had the amazing opportunity to see lots of different countries and cities, while being able to spend quality time with one another. Everyone especially loved getting the opportunity to spend time with Wilmar and Judy.
Wilmar Jensen loved his family, he loved his community and he loved his country. He loved his clients, his staff and his friends. Over his long life, he did everything he could to support all of them. He was honest and ethical in all of his activities and valued his reputation. His was a life well lived.
Wilmar is survived by his wife Judy; children Mark (Mary Ann), Kristine, Kirk (Stacy) and Karen (Nick Petrulakis); grandchildren Matthew (Amber), Lars, Julia, William, Robert, Andrew, Allison, Elizabeth and Kristina; great-grandchildren Zachary and Ryan; nieces Margot (Skip Yost) and Sally (Bob Miller); nephew Gary (Joanne); and sister-in-law Nancy (Bob Shuck), along with many cousins and other extended family members. Wilmar was preceded in death by his parents, his brother George and his sister-in-law Jacqueline.
A memorial service will be held on January 26, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at the Masonic Temple, 800 Rose Avenue, Modesto, California. Burial will be private.
Donations may be made to Community Hospice, the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, Opera Modesto, the Gallo Center for the Arts, or to a charity of your choice.
