Kevin Jorgensen

Kevin Jorgensen, 61 of Naches, Washington, a much beloved husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, and friend, passed suddenly, but peacefully, on Monday, January 15th. Kevin was a man whose generosity and love knew no bounds. He was the definition of a servant leader and thus changed the lives of so many. When you spoke, he listened and made you feel like you were the only person in the world that mattered. Unfortunately, he passed as he was making his way back home from Arizona with his wife and one of his best friends since childhood by his side, blue skies ahead and a clear, open highway, just the way he would have liked it. Kevin had open heart surgery in August and was doing incredibly well, but an underlying infection gave him a battle that we all thought he had won over the past few months, only to find out it had remained. He passed away in Salt Lake City while in surgery and is now finally at peace.

Kevin was born on February 26, 1962 to Ron and Donna Jorgensen of West Valley Yakima. He was a happy kid with a big smile and loved spending time playing sports, especially golf, a passion that he maintained throughout his life. Being born into a racing family, he and his dad and brothers built a racecar and traveled around the region, having a blast along the way. In high school, he took a job at Pizza Hut and then moved over to Boise Cascade where his dad worked. He then took a job at Michelsen Packaging feeding newspaper into a grinder, a job that he didn’t necessarily love and almost left to go to college. Luckily, they saw something in him and convinced him to stay, moving him into a service tech position and then after seeing his work ethic and natural intelligence shine, at the young age of only 22 he was put in charge of all production. Kevin maintained the position of Director of Production until his retirement at the end of 2020. In his 40 years at Michelsen, he helped grow the company to be a leader in the industry through his servant leadership program.

Kevin would be the first to tell you that he was blessed beyond measure. But, his thought was that if God was going to bless him in so many ways, he knew that God’s blessings were to be given and shared for the good of others. He loved through action, and this could be seen in the love and support he gave to his wife and children. His love overflowed to others, and Kevin was a father and mentor to many young men and women he met, supported, and encouraged in the community. Outside of his family, he poured his heart and time into a number of community endeavors, always being extremely civic-minded and giving of himself. Living in Selah for much of his life, he served on the City Council and most recently helped in the efforts to build the new Selah Naches Food Bank of which he was a board member. In addition, he was the President of the Board at Calcoe Credit Union and poured his heart and soul into the Nile Valley/Chinook Pass community where he and his wife lived for the past 10 years. In addition to being the President of the Nile Valley Community Association, he also served as Fire Commissioner and helped create Chinook Fest. Although he was instrumental in all of these endeavors, he served with a humble heart and was a great listener, but when he spoke, people knew that what he said came with wisdom and integrity.

After his retirement from Michelsen, he spent much of his time going back and forth to his place in Arizona, a house just three doors down the street from his brother Kim, and not too far from his Mom. He loved spending the afternoons with them and cherished this time together. He also had two new grandkids who meant the world to him and which he spoiled with love and affection. If he wasn’t doing one of these activities, he may have been seen in a tractor working at one of his properties in the Nile Valley. He loved creating places for people to gather and his vision was always a little bigger than anyone could even grasp. He was always building and his love and servant nature was his north star.

It’s hard to put into words just how much Kevin did for everyone around him. He didn’t gloat or make it known what he was doing, and we’ll most likely discover more of his acts of generosity as time goes on and stories are shared. We all consider ourselves lucky that he lived a life big enough to include us. This past few months had been a battle for him and our family and we want to extend our most sincere gratitude to Rick Arnold for making the trips down to Arizona to see him and help get him back home, Mark and Chris Medina for being constant support while he was in the hospital, Kim Luster and Dave and Colleen Camp for helping in his recovery, the greater Nile Valley Community for helping in our time of sorrow, and to the countless friends and family members who have stood by Kevin and our family as he battled for all of us.

Kevin was preceded in his journey to God by his father Ron Jorgensen (2011), and is survived by his wife Tammy Jorgensen; sons Fr. Cody Jorgensen, OP and Kale Jorgensen; stepchildren Cody (Andes) Beebe and Cassidy Beebe; grandkids Travlyn and Bowen Beebe; mother Donna Jorgensen; brothers Kerry (Paula) Jorgensen, Kim (Jen) Jorgensen, and sister Karalyn (Dino) Pellegrini. He will be truly missed.
A public memorial service will take place on April 27, 2024 at 2:00pm at the American Homestead, a place he really loved. All are welcome. There’s no question he’ll be joining us that day as well.