Greta passed away peacefully after a long illness on September 10, 2016, at Canyonlands Care Center in Moab.
Greta was born in Bellshill, Scotland, to parents Maggie Ethel (Gault) and Peter Bell; she had two older brothers, John and Harry. The family moved to Grangemouth, Scotland, where she grew up.
On May 27, 1950, Greta married Joseph “Joe” O’Hanlon from Denny, Scotland; they had two children, Caroline and John. Greta later moved the family to England, living in several places in the London area.
In 1973, she emigrated to California and lived in the Bay Area and around Manteca, where she met and married Charles “Chuck” Jensen. In 1978, they moved to Moab, where she finally settled and made lots of new friends.
Chuck and Greta had many happy times camping around Moab and Fish Lake. They loved animals and enjoyed walking their dog around town and by the river.
Greta had a variety of jobs during her life, starting as a nurse in a TB hospital in Scotland, and later as a nurse in a retirement home in England. She was also a foster mother to many young babies for a number of years. Later, she managed a seamen’s mission in England and apartment complexes in California.
Greta has touched the lives of many people and will be greatly missed by family and friends alike. Greta is survived by her daughter Caroline and son-in-law Duncan Mackie; her son John and daughter-in-law Lynn O’Hanlon, and their daughters and husbands: Clare and Russell Edgar, Susan and Matt Podbury, Karen and Chris Hayes and Janet and Stuart McCall; and her eight great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Peter and Ethel Bell; her brothers and sisters-in-law, Harry and Cathie Bell, and John and Bessie Bell; her nephew, Ronald Bell; and her husbands, Joe O’Hanlon, Wilf Rich and Chuck Jensen.
A graveside service will be held on Saturday, September 17, at 2 p.m. at the Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 2651 Spanish Valley Drive, Moab.
The family would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff at Canyonlands Care Center for their dedication, caring and understanding over the last five and a half years. Greta was never just a resident; she became part of their family, and we will always be grateful to you all.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.SpanishValleyMortuary.com.
