Malheur County OR Archives Obituaries.....Tensen, Cornelius M. 1963
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Patty Theurer seymour784@yahoo.com December 24, 2005, 12:29 am

Nyssa Gate City Journal
Nyssa Gate City Journal
Nyssa, Oregon
Thursday, January 10, 1963

Longtime Resident of Nyssa Succumbs After Illness; Rites Held Wednesday

Funeral services for Cornelius M. (Skinny) Tensen were conducted at 11 o'clock 
Wednesday morning, January 9, 1963, at Lienkaemper chapel. Father John 
Baumgartner of St. Bridget's Chatholic church officiated. 

Mr. Tensen succumbed Sunday night following an illness of several years. 

He was born July 25, 1894, in Sckelinkhout, Holland, a son of Pieter and 
Elizabeth Tensen. The family came to the Nyssa area in 1900 and the deceased 
attended Arcadia grade school on horseback.

He was always found of animals, especially horses, and at the age of 14 went to 
Salt Lake City intending to become a jockey, but found that even at that age he 
was too tall.

He also liked guns and was an excellent shot. At the age of 15 he hired out to 
shoot crows. Unfortunately he spotted a coyote and dashed through a fence, his 
gun catching in the wire and discharging. His arm was so badly mangled that it 
had to be amputated by Dr. J. J. Sarazin, assisted by Dr. Payne of Ontario. 

In 1925 Mr. Tensen began selling radios and also took over the Ford agency, 
later selling the business. In 1929 he built a service station on the corner of 
First and Main streets. 

After giving up that station, the Tensen brothers rented another which they ran 
for several years with Cornelius also driving a taxi in his spare time. Skinny 
went into the sheep business in 1935, starting with 935 ewes and building up 
the flock. 

He was married to Lola Stockham in 1922 and she died in 1934, following a long 
illness.

In December of 1935 he was united in marriage to Ann Amrich and to this union 
were born two children, Neil and Carolyn. 

In 1939 Mr. Tensen purchased the Summit Prairie acreage from John Stringer and 
after improving it was forced to sell his sheep, due to poor health. The bands 
then totaled over 2500. Summit Prairie was known as a mecca for hunters and 
fishermen when the Tensens resided there. 

Mr. and Mrs. Tensen won many trophies and ribbons during horse shows throughout 
the valley. One of their finest horses, "Jug J," was ridden by movie star Bill 
Elliott in various contests. 

In addition to his widow and two children of Nyssa, survivors include a 
brother, Dick; a sister, Mrs. Gertrude Broad, and two grandchildren, all of 
Nyssa. 

Mr. Tensen was interred in Nyssa cemetery. Active pallbearers were Marion 
Tracy, Vaughn Stringer, Pete Green, Bill Stringer, Lynn Snodgrass and Gib 
Holmes.

Honorary bearers included S. P. Bybee, Dave Hawkins, Audrey Ward, Pete 
VanderOord, Gerrit Stam, Dwight Smith and Tom Rust. 

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/malheur/obits/t/tensen85gob.txt

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