The falling asleep of Gary Dennis Jensen
.PNG)
October 11, 1944 – October 14, 2026
It is with great sadness, but with hope in the Resurrection, that we announce the falling asleep of our brother in the Lord, Gary Dennis Jensen. May his memory be eternal.
Gary Dennis Jensen, a resident of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, passed away on October 14, 2026, at the age of 82, following a courageous two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer.
Born in McMinnville, Oregon, on October 11, 1944, Gary was the son of Donald H. and Wilma June Towle Jensen. He grew up in Yamhill and Warrenton, Oregon, graduating from Warrenton High School in 1962. In 1961, he met his wife, Aphrodite (Afroula) Tsekoura, when she arrived from Corfu, Greece, as an American Field Service exchange student. Although she soon returned to Greece to earn her bachelor’s degree, the two stayed close through an eight-year correspondence while she completed her studies and later returned to the U.S. as a Fulbright Scholar to obtain her master’s degree in linguistics from Indiana University. Gary and Afroula were married on February 7, 1970, in Clatsop Plains Presbyterian Church and, later, in Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, in Washington, D.C. Together, they shared 56 years of devoted, loving marriage.
Gary earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Romance Languages and a Master’s Degree in Library Science from the University of Oregon. He began his career as the Readers Services Librarian at Eastern Oregon State College before moving with Afroula to the Washington, D.C. area in 1971. While pursuing his doctorate in American Studies at George Washington University, Gary embarked on a distinguished 13-year career at the Library of Congress.
Starting as a part-time bibliographer, he advanced through roles in the Congressional Research Service to become Senior History Reference Librarian and team leader for various Congressional Research Service reference centers in the House and Senate office buildings. In 1976, he was named Head of the Congressional Reading Room. He went on to serve as Head of the Thomas Jefferson Reading Room and the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room, and, in 1981, he was appointed Head of the Main Reading Room, supervising more than twenty staff members. He held the unique distinction of having supervised all three principal reading rooms at the Library of Congress.
In 1985, Gary served as Library Director at the Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. (now Bloomberg Industry Group), in Georgetown. In 1987, following the death of his father, he returned to Oregon to be closer to family, accepting the position of Library Director at Western Oregon State College (now Western Oregon University). He spent the remainder of his career there, retiring in 2007 as Dean of the University Library. During his tenure, Gary was instrumental in establishing the Orbis academic library consortium and led the design and construction of Western Oregon University’s Hamersly Library, which opened in 2000. He also served as an academic library evaluator across the western United States.
In retirement, Gary remained active in community and archival work. He helped establish the Polk County Cultural Coalition, serving as its volunteer chair, under the auspices of the Oregon Cultural Trust, assisted in preserving the personal papers of Oregon’s governors, and produced a definitive archival guide to the papers of Western Oregon University administrator Ellis Stebbins.
Beginning in 2004, Gary and Afroula spent several months each year at their home on the island of Corfu, Greece. Gary whole-heartedly adopted his wife’s culture and developed a lifelong love for all things Greek. In August 2021, they moved to Winston-Salem to be near their daughter’s family.
Gary was, above all, a deeply gentle, selfless, humble, decent, dutiful, and honorable man. He was known for his quiet devotion to caring for others—working to put himself through college, driving his elderly grandfather to medical appointments, caring for his mother and sister in times of need, looking after his infant grandson during his first ten months, caring for his wife in later years, and taking his granddaughter to Greece each summer. Even his personal pastimes reflected his gentle nature: he loved baking, gardening, reading, playing classical bassoon, and constantly learning.
He is survived by his wife, Afroula, his daughter, Maria Eleni (Marilena) Jensen-Guthold, his son-in-law, Martin Guthold, and his beloved grandchildren of whom he was very proud, Melissanthi Sophia Guthold and Alexander Jensen Guthold. He is also survived by his older brother, Donald R. Jensen, his younger sister, Cheryl Johnson, his sister-in-law, Alexia Gaoutsi Tsekoura, and many dear nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends in the U.S. and in Greece. He was preceded in death by his parents, his older sister, Karen Jensen Voelker, his brother-in-law, Christos Tsekouras, and his nephew, Corey Dennis Oltmanns.
Gary leaves behind a rich legacy of integrity, wisdom, and gentleness. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
A funeral service and trisagion will be held at 11 am Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church with Rev. Fr. Minas Tsambounieris and Rev. Fr. Nicolaos Spirakis officiating. Burial will follow in Forsyth Memorial Park. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 435 Keating Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27104. Online memorial donations may be made here: onrealm.org/wsgoc/give/memorials
