 JURGENSEN, GLENYS F. Glenys Jurgensen, 92, died February 21st in Santa Fe. She was born March 8, 1921 in Lindenhurst, NY. Her father Alvin Frevert was a plumber, all-around handyman, and an enthusiastic gardener, a skill and dedication he passed on to his daughter. Her mother Isabella was a seamstress, homemaker, serious church-goer, and steward of the family income, all qualities Glenys learned to value. After receiving her diploma from Lenox Hill Hospital School of Nursing, Glenys enlisted in the U.S. Army Nursing Corps. She worked in evacuation hospitals in Normandy and St. Lo weeks after the invasions, in July, 1944. She received a Purple Heart when her hospital in Belgium was bombed. While on leave in Paris, Glenys went out with an Army captain in the Engineer Corps. He had whistled at her on the boulevards. With victory declared in Europe, Glenys volunteered for the Philippines and left on a Liberty Ship headed for Manila. By the time she arrived, the war was over, and she waited for the soldiers to return home before being able to ship out and be relieved of active duty. Taking only enough time to tell her parents and buy china and linens, Glenys moved to Albuquerque to marry Clifford Jurgensen, the soldier who had whistled at her. She immediately fell in love with this new land, so foreign from the beaches and oceans of her past. While Clifford traveled throughout the state as a civil engineer, Glenys happily moved from one small town to another. She was a little worried when her brother visited Jemez Springs in the 1940s, thinking he would report back to her parents that she was living in wilderness poverty. Clifford and Glenys had five children: Karen (Watkins), Kathi (Marchiondo), Ray, Richard and Glenn. Glenys was an indulgent mother, raising the children largely by herself as Clifford traveled to build New Mexico's roads. She instilled in her young family the values and pleasures that she found dear: love of reading and intellectual curiosity, wonder at nature, enjoyment in living, responsibility for helping others, and love of family. Later in life, she delighted in her grandchildren, Lisa, Anna, Amy, and Cliff. After her husband's death, Glenys found new interests and pastimes. She learned to be a skilled watercolorist and enjoyed water aerobics, a return to the swimming she loved as a child. She turned alkaline New Mexico yards into lush gardens. She traveled throughout the state with Senior Center friends. She expanded her collection and knowledge of jazz music. She kept family holiday traditions and never forgot a birthday or anniversary. Glenys was brave, hard-working, resilient, loving and happy. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon her and give her peace and joy eternal. A celebration service will be held at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Albuquerque on Saturday, March 29th at 10:00 am. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Park.
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