Cynthia’s mother, Eileen Jensen, passed away one week ago at age 92. She was laid to rest on Monday.
Today’s column is dedicated in her memory.
The following story appeared on the Hail Varsity website on October 27, 2018. It was written by Erin Sorensen.
Eileen Jensen sat in section 613, row 11, seat 8 on Saturday. She was decked out in a red Nebraska sweatshirt, red Nebraska jacket and a red ballcap with a silver bow on the back. The 85-year-old looked like a seasoned visitor of Memorial Stadium at first glance.
Yet Nebraska’s matchup with Bethune-Cookman was Jensen’s first visit to Memorial Stadium for a Huskers game day.
“It’s always been something I wanted to do before my life ends,” Jensen told Hail Varsity. “It’s kind of my bucket list.”
Jensen is originally from Minnesota. She moved to Alliance, Nebraska when she married her husband in 1961. While her husband wasn’t much of a Husker fan, Jensen tuned in for the games on the radio and TV.
While Jensen would have loved to attend a game sooner, the opportunity to do so never came. That was until two weeks ago.
Knowing it was something Jensen wanted to do, her family set out to make it happen. Kacey Shaneyfelt – one of Jensen’s granddaughters – was able to obtain extra tickets that allowed Jensen and her son Brian Jensen to sit in section 613 (with easy access to elevators). The rest of the family sat in section 39.
When the plans were set, Cynthia Horn gave her mother a call.
“We’re going to the Nebraska game!”
Eileen could hardly believe it. She’s been to Lincoln many times traveling with her daughter and granddaughters on what she calls “adventures.”
Once Eileen knew she was making a trip from Alliance to Lincoln for the weekend with her family, the anticipation grew. She was excited to see Memorial Stadium in person for the first time.
The stadium and Husker Nation lived up to their expectations.
“It’s fantastic and overwhelming because I’ve never seen anything this large and this exciting,” Jensen said. To see the Big Red, to see how everyone responds to what’s going on is so great. I enjoyed the pregame activities and the band performance. It’s been wonderful.”
Some of the more notable moments that Jensen enjoyed were the Wave – “It’s like waves on the ocean. To me, that’s exhilarating. I also loved the ‘Husker Power’ chants.”
However, there’s one part she enjoyed the most.
“Oh, when a touchdown is made,” Eileen said.
Jensen has spent her life as a nurse, retiring at age 78. She now volunteers at the local nursing homes, which includes calling Bingo on Mondays and reading stories on Friday.
For Eileen, it’s more than just an adventure. “It’s a lifestyle,” as she calls it.
And when she heads to the nursing home on Friday, she’ll have new stories to tell. This time? About her very first visit to Memorial Stadium – sitting in section 613, row 11, seat 8 – for Nebraska’s 45-9 victory over Bethune-Cookman.
It was a Husker game 85 years in the making.