Roland Jenison
June 20, 1939 - October 17, 2024

Roland Duane Jenison, 85, of Ames passed away October 17, 2024, at Green Hills Health Care Center. He was born on June 20, 1939, in Belmond, Iowa to Duane and Henrietta (Sturgeon) Jenison, the oldest of three sons. He grew up on the farm, where he learned the value of hard work from his parents and was responsible for chores before and after school.

He married Phyllis Soma of Belmond on June 4, 1960, and they made their home in Ames, where they raised two children, Lisa and Leigh.

Rollie always made education a priority. He got his start in a one-room country schoolhouse through 8th grade and graduated as salutatorian from Belmond High School in 1957. He was the first in his family to go to college, earning his B.S. (1961) and M.S. (1965) degrees in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University.

His passion for education continued after graduation as he spent 35 years teaching in aerospace and general engineering, most of it on the faculty of Iowa State University. He particularly enjoyed serving as an academic advisor to students. Whether it was teaching courses, advising students one-on-one, co-authoring textbooks or publishing and presenting papers on engineering education, his goal was to inspire and train the next generation of engineers to solve real-world problems. He retired in May of 2000 as professor emeritus in the department of aerospace engineering at Iowa State.

Rollie will be remembered for his big smile and quick wit. He was an avid sports fan, especially of his beloved Cyclones and New York Yankees. Always one to challenge his brain, he worked the New York Times crossword daily for decades, and in later years could regularly be found working a sudoku puzzle. He was always available to anyone who needed help or advice and was quick to offer a kind word and a "thank you". Most of all he loved and was dedicated to his family. His grandchildren have fond memories of Grandpa Rollie's sense of humor, dressing up as Santa Claus every year, making homemade ice cream, and throwing his nasty eephus pitch for batting practice.

He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Phyllis (whom he told every day she was beautiful); daughter Lisa (Jim) Keller and son Leigh (Susan) Jenison; grandchildren Andrew Keller, Paul Keller, Grace Keller, Anna (Danny Umhoefer) Jenison, and Tom (Kierra Carbajal) Jenison; brother Lynn (Karen) Jenison and sister-in-law Lynn Jenison.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Jerry, and his granddaughter Lena Jenison.

The family would like to thank the staff at Green Hills and Suncrest Hospice for their excellent and compassionate care. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Eleanor L. Kniker Endowment at the DMACC foundation https://www.dmacc.edu/foundation/makeagift.html which provides scholarships to Green Hills employees pursuing a nursing career, or to the Alzheimer's Association at https://www.alz.org/.

An open house to celebrate Rollie's life will be held on Monday, December 16, 2024, from 1-3 p.m. at the Green Hills community room, 2205 Green Hills Drive in Ames. Online condolences may be left at grandonfuneralandcremationcare.com.

Tributes