Vickie Lee Black

Vickie Lee Jensen was born on March 18, 1946, in St. Louis, Missouri and died on January 7, 2024, in Mansfield Methodist Medical Center in Mansfield, Texas.  Parents:  Reverend Donnell (DC) Jensen and Viola (Vi) Jensen (both deceased).  One brother, Ron Jensen.

She professed faith in Jesus on August 16, 1957, at age 11.  Her father surrendered to preach when she was 3 years old and they moved to Jacksonville, Texas, while he attended college.  She lived in Talco, Texas, Sulphur Springs, Texas and Shreveport, Louisiana before moving to Grand Prairie, Texas her senior year of high school in 1963 where they joined 8^th Street Baptist Church.  There she graduated from South Grand Prairie High School.

Vickie loved to cook and when 15 she was a finalist in the Kroger-Westinghouse Junior Cook of the Year contest where she entered her famous Mushroom Meatloaf.  She was flown to Cincinnati, Ohio for the finals where she won a Westinghouse oven for her recipe.  Because they lived in a parsonage at the time, she sold the oven and bought a piano.

She met Thomas Edward Black, Jr at Latham Springs Camp and Retreat Center in Aquila, Texas on August 13, 1959, when she was 13 and he was 17.  They married on August 22, 1964.  They had two children, son Stephen Edward and daughter Christine Michelle.  She had eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Shortly after they married Tom joined the Navy and she became a Navy wife for six years.  While he was in the Navy they lived in Idaho, Connecticut and Maine.  At each stop they found a local church to attend and serve, Vickie often playing the piano and organ while Tom directed music.

She was a stay-at-home until Christy started 2^nd grade in 1981 when she started cleaning houses.  She cleaned housed for 39 years including a period of time when she and Tom owned Custom Cleaning Service, a commercial and residential cleaning business.

She was an accomplished seamstress and sewed for the public for many years.  She also made and sold special occasion cakes for the public.  Vickie and Tom were members of Hillcrest Baptist Church for 7 years (1971-1978).  They attended Tate Springs Baptist Church for 44 years (1978-2021).

While members of Tate Springs, Tom and Vickie taught kindergarten Sunday School for 11 years.  She taught in Awana Cubbies, Childrens Choir and Vacation Bible School.  She also served in Good News Club in public schools for three or four years.  Vickie attended Bible Study Fellowship for over 20 years and played piano during worship there.

They were members of Matthew Road Baptist Church for 2 years (2021-2023). While there she served in Awana Sparks and Vacation Bible School and made many good friends.

After she became a Nana she began teaching children’s art and cooking classes in the summers and held Nana Craft Day with her grandchildren at Christmas.  For many years she provided kid-free Wednesdays for her daughter Christy.

Vickie and Tom loved to travel and visited Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, France, Spain, England, Scotland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Germany and the Dominican Republic.  They celebrated their 50^th anniversary by taking their kids and grandkids on a Caribbean Disney Cruise.