Obituary of Jack Paul Ensley

Jack Paul Ensley was born on July 19, 1938 in Nampa, Idaho to Benjamin Merle and Olga Ensley. Jack was the first of four children and spent most of his childhood in St. Helens and attended high school in Salem. In 1955, he enlisted in the Air Force where he served as a boom operator and was stationed near Boise, ID. During this time, he met Karen Mason at one of the local hamburger joints and they were married in 1958. Jack received an honorable discharge from the Air Force in 1960 and they moved to Salem where they raised 10 children (7 girls and 3 boys). He studied the bible with his sister, Donna Towry, who had become a Jehovah’s Witness. Jack was baptized on July 31, 1961 at the same assembly as his mother, Olga, in Portland, OR. While in Salem, he built a successful drywall, wallboard and insulation supply business to support his growing family. He also trained many friends and family in the drywall business. Jack is survived by his second wife, Carol Pomeroy (married in 2014) and his children and their spouses: Angela Parker of Bend, OR, Shari and Kent Ellis of Rye, CO, Sabrina and Bryan Willis of Portland, OR, Eden and Joe Abrams of Keizer, OR, Jacklyn (Wendy) and Ed Parker of Brothers, OR, Aaron and Wendy Ensley of Clackamas, OR, Vashti and Judah Brungardt of Portland, OR and Jude Ensley of Pueblo, CO. Jack’s wife of 53 years, Karen, preceded him in death in 2011. His younger brother, Jerry Ensley, also preceded him in death. His daughter, Kimberly and son, Benjamin both preceded him in death as well. Jack is also survived by his sisters, Donna Towry of Redmond, OR and Bernida and David Stuart of Salem, OR and 18 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. Jack was a devoted father and an avid sportsman who made sure his kids learned to ski, play tennis, swim, fish, camp and light a fire, play horseshoes and ride motorcycles. He also enjoyed hunting with his boys, boating with the family and taking long drives and extended road trips which usually included lots of friends. Jack had a deep appreciation for all of Jehovah’s creations and worked hard to instill the same in his children’s hearts by pointing out Jehovah’s wonderful qualities in nature, teaching them the value and wisdom of older ones and the satisfaction of a job well done. Jack’s true passion in life was his ministry as a Jehovah’s Witness. He spent his life joyfully volunteering on building projects and a convention drama, sharing his faith in the door-to-door ministry to help people learn Bible truths, assisting those in need and spending time with older ones. The resurrection hope was real to Jack. Yes, Jack will be dearly missed. However, he was sure of the hope promised in the Bible to live again in a world free of sorrow, sickness and death. “And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4). A special thank you to the staff at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass for their loving care and support during our father’s final days, especially the E Station nursing staff – Davina, Crystal, Shelly, Ben P., Melissa N., Ashley T., Morgan, Ben E., Katie W., Lisa W., Heather, Colleen, Tami, Angela, Mike B., Amy, Erolyn, and Robin as well as Debbie and Mary in discharge planning. A Memorial Service for Jack will be 2 pm, Saturday, October 26, 2019 at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 5138 10th Avenue NE, Keizer, OR 97303. Condolences may be conveyed to the family at Crown Memorial, Milwaukie, OR.