Over the Bar

Long time member Wilbure Jensen (Willie) 08/13/1940 to 03/05/2026.

Willie

Willie didn't smile – he grinned. He didn't "practice" gratitude – he couldn't believe his luck. Sparkling grey-blue eyes, a kind of magic.

A few nights before his passing, neighbours saw him standing outside, looking up at the moon. This was entirely normal. Willie lived in appreciation of the world. He didn't take a single day for granted – he "breathed in his luck," as he'd say.

He loved counting the boats on the water from his apartment along the seawall in West Vancouver. He sent his daughters updates on the herons, the creek, the sky that day. Always sharing what he saw, and just a few days before his passing, telling his youngest daughter that he was "thankful big time for every day."

There is no better word to describe him than kind – a sharp appreciation for wit, a strong acceptance of life and a rare ability to truly see people. He said "I love you" easily and often. He had a great capacity for empathy and believed without question that we are all equal. He loved every small moment. He had a deep respect for nature. He believed the soul lived on.

Willie was intentional, curious about everything and deeply knowledgeable. He had a great sense of humour and was always laughing. Born in Odense, Denmark in 1940, during WWII, he was adventurous and independent from a young age, from scouting and orienteering to skiing and sailing, with skiing taking him across Europe on the Danish national team. He was a true athlete with a competitive spirit.

There was machinist school, a winter in Norway, and eventually he made his way to Quebec, teaching skiing at Grey Rocks and enjoying Montreal's Expo '67.

He moved out west and built a life in North Vancouver, living on Dempsey Road for over 50 years, where he raised his daughters with Joelle, before moving to his beloved apartment in West Van.

Willie was passionate about movement – uncomplicated: move your body functionally. Health was moderation – and to love life, be grateful and find beauty in everything. A career in sales and sporting goods led him to start his own business later in life. He was passionate about Nordic pole walking and imported and sold forearm crutches to healthcare distributors across the Lower Mainland, helping many people learn to walk effectively – driven by a strong desire to help people.

A decades-long member of the Hollyburn Sailing Club, he loved time on the water on his Laser 2 when his daughters were young, walking in the forest in Lynn Canyon and being at home. Family dinners on the deck and countless trips to Annecy in the French Alps to visit Joelle's family. He loved music, collecting many records, art and books – keeping everything, much to his daughters' amusement and appreciation. He always looked sharp.

He is so deeply loved and missed by his girls, Celine and Sabrina; his wife, Joelle; his son-in-law, Kalen; and his beloved grandson, Mac.

And he is felt – in the sky, in the water, in his appreciation of the world he loved so much. In the art, in the songs and poems he held close. In his belief that good things take time.

Condolences to Willies family. HSC will miss Him.