Phil Jensen

Phil Jensen, 102, died in Port Orchard, Washington on June 28, 2000. He was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 20, 1898 to James Martin & Mona (Jensen) Jensen. Phil moved to Seattle in 1903 at the age of five. From 1903 to 1916 he lived at 56th & Phinney Ave. in North Seattle - the house was across the street from Woodland Park. Phil attended Lincoln High School for two years. Due to redistricting, he went to Ballard High School for two years. Baseball was very important in Phil's life. He played 2 years for John B. Allen as a catcher. As a freshman at Lincoln in 1914, he was their catcher. In 1915 the Lincoln coach changed his position to 1st base. During 1914 & 1915 he played amateur baseball in upper Woodlawn Park. In 1917 Phil was the captain of the baseball team. Ballard beat Broadway High School that year for the championship.In 1917 he traveled to Carmongay, Alberta to play semi-pro ball. In 1918 he came back to Seattle and played and worked for Meacham and Babcock Shipyard where they built wooden boats. Back to Carmongay, Alberta in 1919 where Phil played with an all-star team for Nick Williams(ex-professional). Then in 1920 he played in Everett for Weyerhauser Lumber Co. In 1921 Phil played professional ball for the Tacoma Indians in the old Western International League. In the latter part of 1921 he played semi-pro ball for Bloedel Donavan Lumber Co.In 1922 Phil entered W.S.U. and became a fraternity brother in Lamda Chi Alpha house. He played that year for W.S.U. Freshman Baseball Team. In 1922 when school was out for the summer he was hired to play for Cashmere, Washington. While in Cashmere he met Mildred Brown whom he married in 1924 in Seattle. In 1923 he returned to W.S.U. and as a sophomore student, coached the freshman baseball team. Also in 1923 he played semi-pro ball for Colfax, WA and Lewiston, Idaho. In 1924 Phil returned to play for Bloedel-Donavan Lumber Co.in Bellingham. He later played for Bellingham Elks team in the Northwest League. In 1925 he played for the city of Everett. He later played several years for Puget Sound Power and Light until his retirement from baseball in the early 1930's.In December 1923 he started working for Puget Sound Power & Light Co. - working for them for 23 1/2 years. He later worked for Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for 17 1/2 years {1943-1947 & 1951-1965}. After he retired from the Shipyard, he worked as a bailiff for the Kitsap County Superior Court from 1965 to 1977.He and Mildred purchased waterfront property in Colchester {near Manchester} in 1926. They moved to Colchester in 1929. Phil is a member of the Colby United Methodist Church, the Curley Creek Grange, and the Sons of Norway in Bremerton. He coached youth baseball for many years. He was an avid gardener and loved to work out of doors.Visitation will be Monday, July 3rd from 6:00 to 8:00pm at Rill chapel in Port Orchard. Funeral service will be 2:00 P.M. Thursday, July 6, 2000 at Rill Chapel in Port Orchard, Washington. Memorial donations may be made to Harrison Hospital Foudation, 2520 Cherry Ave., Bremerton, WA 98310 or Colby United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 4299, South Colby, WA 98384-0299.