Louie was indeed the best boss I have ever had. He had a story or saying for everything. I learned a lot from him. He was a gift from God to many. I am glad to have been a recipient of that gift. I pray for his family and friends for peace and contentment. So many were blessed by knowing him.

“My brother was a very special guy, he meant so much to me.” — with Louie, Di and Mike

The first time I met Louie, I was very shy and quiet…but that didn’t matter much to Louie. He told me: “That’s ok, you’re like the wise old owl sitting in his tree. Watching and listening. Always learning.” Then he recited word-for-word the poem. (The wise old owl sat in an oak. The more he saw the less he spoke. The less he spoke, the more he heard. Why can’t we all be like that wise old bird?) That was Louie, he always knew just what to say. He saw and recognized people for their strengths and talents…even the quiet ones who couldn’t always see it in themselves.

Louie would often tell me, “You have a unique gift. Others think about things, but you give them breath.” We bonded over a shared love for all things creative. Whenever I’d share an idea with him, he’d smile and simply say, “You’re only limited by your imagination!” and he’d give me a wink. He encouraged me to run with my ideas, no matter how big they got. What some people would consider crazy or impossible, Louie took it on as a challenge. He always had big ideas and the creativity to match. You could always tell when he was coming up with something great. He’d get a twinkle in his eye and off he went!

Thank you, Louie. For your mentorship, stories, lessons, warmth, and encouragement. You made my time at Bandit Industries, Inc. exceptional.

My condolences to Louie’s family and many friends. His loss is greatly felt.

In the singing words of Billy Joel  "ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG".  God has taken Louie way to early in life.

For the family i will be praying for comfort and peace at this time of great loss. Louie had a genuine infectious smile and was such a kind and fun loving man! He will be missed but always remembered fondly.

It was hard to plow snow today and not think about Louie. I bought a Dodge Sno-Commander back in 1990 that no longer had a plow. Louie had a rusted out Dodge Sno-Fiter that he was willing to part ways with, so I used that plow for my truck. He and Bob came out after my Dad died and bought the two old snowmobiles that he had bought new back in the day. Louie said Bob got the better deal as the one he ended up with had a blown engine. My wife Lynn and I ran into Louie and Sandy one year down in Durand when they brought in locomotives for a weekend. After that, he sent me information on up coming events in surrounding states having to do with trains. A couple of years ago, Lynn and I attended a reception at Sleepy Hollow. Lou made himself a gracious host and took us around the building showing us the rooms and telling us some of the history. He was a great guy who was always thinking of others. So sad that he has left us, but he left an impact on many people while he was here. To me, he will always be Lou Jensen, builder extraordinaire and sometimes used car salesman.

Nicole, the Obituary you wrote for your dad was well said, spot on and well deserved. I was blessed to have known Louie for many years. Never did he have a bad day and I ALWAYS felt welcomed when I called on him. I don't think I ever met a person who was more compassionate, genuine and fun loving as he was. There are VERY FEW people who made an impact on my life like Louie. This loss breaks the heart of anyone who was blessed to have had him as part of their life. Rest in peace my dear friend. 

The world will never have another man like Louie and was loved by everyone he ever met. He will be missed. Something I read once and it came to mind when I heard, "grief is love with no where to go".

Louie was along time friend and always put a smile on my face.  He will truly be missed.  

I will miss this man so very much.   He just exuded kindness and love.  I will miss his big bear hugs.  He always had that same big smile.  Prayers to all the family.  

Sending hugs and prayers to you all. Louie was a great friend and will be missed...

My condolences to the family  he will be missed, my prayers go out to you at  this time.

From former Bandit Employee Rich Darmody via Facebook Post. 

"It's a rare occurrence in life that you meet someone outside your family that makes an everlasting impact on how you live. When I was 16, I worked for two years at a factory in a maintenance department. This was my first real job, as a kid in a man's world. I would sometimes make mistakes others would want to kill me for, but my supervisor Louie would always understand and would often give me advice on how to avoid that in the future. When others would lose their temper he would usually smile, laugh / shake his head, and navigate the challenge at hand, ultimately fixing the issue. At the end of my first year, layoffs rolled around and the only ones safe from it, were us part timers. Later that day I found out our mechanic was getting laid off, who had a large family he supported. I was a H.S. kid that only needed to pay for gas every week to get to work, so I didn't need a job necessarily. I asked Louie if I volunteered for a layoff if it would keep him around longer. Looking back at it, there's no way my layoff would've covered the mechanics wages but non the less Louie understood where I was coming from, and made it happen. I believe the mechanic never lost his job during that lay off period. It's rare in leadership where you have someone that can understand and relate as well as Louie did.

After joining the Marine corps I was deployed to Iraq. Before I left I stopped and said bye to the guys In case I never got to see them again. On my way out big Lou gave me a handshake and a hug. Halfway through my deployment I finally got a chance to use a computer. I was expecting a bunch of emails from my younger friends and family but I only had one. It was Louie checking up on me, making sure I was ok and didn't need anything. To this day I don't know how he found my email but I'm glad he did. I was having a rough time contrary to what I told him, and just knowing that he cared enough to think about me, and write me, meant the world to me. I learned a lot from big Lou, he taught me how to keep my cool under stress, which likely saved my life more than once. He taught me a lot on how to deal with certain situations and was able to give me advice that I may not be comfortable asking someone else about.

Yesterday I learned Louie Jensen my former supervisor and friend had passed away. I've been reflecting ever since. I'm grateful I had the opportunity to learn from such a great man. Louie was a Marine grade type of guy. Someone I would gladly have in my fox hole watching my back. Short of my parents he probably taught me more about life and people than anyone else could have. I know if he was reading this he'd probably laugh and rattle off some witty one liner that would put this all in perspective and make us all feel better about what has happened. Until we meet again Louie....hope your catching up, having a good time up there."