Dwane D. Jensen

Dwane D. Jensen, 89, of Bismarck, passed away December 3, 2023, at St. Vincent’s Care Center with his family by his side.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, December 8, 2023 at Weigel Funeral Home in Mandan. Burial will follow at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM Thursday, December 7, 2023, at Weigel Funeral Home, Mandan, with a Prayer Service at 7:00 PM. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service on Friday.

Dwane was born on February 27, 1934, to Alfred E. and Blanche (Erickson) Jensen in Watertown, SD. When he was in the sixth grade, the family moved to Gettysburg, SD, where he graduated from high school in 1952. Dwane was an outstanding athlete while in high school, notably in basketball and baseball, where he played first baseman. He attended the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, where he continued playing both of these sports at the collegiate level for the Coyotes. Throughout college he served in the ROTC program and in 1956, upon graduation with a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and was stationed in Kenai, AK. He was honorably discharged in 1958 as a 1st Lieutenant. Dwane then entered an officer’s training course in banking at La Crosse, WI. On January 3, 1960, he married Sharon Hansen. To this union, three children were born. They made their home in Bismarck where he continued his career in banking until his retirement. In July of 1986, he met Adele (Della) Aberle. They married on January 28, 2000, and lived in Timber Lake and Mobridge, SD, until moving to Mandan in 2014 and then to Bismarck earlier this year. Throughout his life, Dwane enjoyed sports, playing fastpitch softball, hunting, fishing, and a good game of poker.

Dwane was a very humble, private person. He wrote the first draft of his obituary at the on-set of his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. It was very brief, outlining just the basic facts of his life. We, his family, know that he would never have spoken about his many athletic and professional accomplishments, but we are very proud of the person he was and what he added to our lives. Dwane had a wry sense of humor. He usually sat quiet until he had a zinger to throw out at us. One holiday while we all sat on our phones, Dwane mockingly grabbed the television remote and pretended to be texting; a great way to make us all laugh and remind us where our priorities should be.

Dwane is survived by his wife, Della of Bismarck; his children, Eric and Dawn, both of Bismarck; brother, Alfred (Buzz) Jensen of Watertown; four step-children, Chad Mettler of Timber Lake, SD, Derek Mettler of McLaughlin, SD, Lawrele (Steven) Johnson of Bismarck and Miranda Aberle of Mandan; 12 grandchildren, Meagan, Sydnee, Cole, Cami, and Carsyn Mettler, Kristie (Dustin) Lanke, Elias and Emelia Johnson and Nathan, Mari, Brynn and Reed Oothoudt; one great grandson, Presten Lanke; and six nieces and one nephew.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one son, Charles Jensen; one grandson, Cullen Oothoudt; two sisters and their husbands; Zona and Vince Schilz and June and Bob Imhoff; and one sister-in-law, Mavis Jensen.