SENIOR SELECTIONS 2020 September - The Jensen family’s love of cars leads to two popular “Cruising Brazil” events

Friday, September 18, 2020
COURTESY of the Jensen Family - Bonnie and Art Jensen were probably the "married the longest” and possibly the “oldest couple of cruisers” at the Cruising Brazil event Saturday, August 29.

Art and Bonnie Jensen, of Brazil, enjoyed the first Cruising Brazil event on August 29th, and they plan on hitting the streets for the second one scheduled for September 19th.

“Our grandson Eric, he put something up on Facebook, and it just pyramided out from there,” said Art about Eric Jensen organizing the wildly popular Cruising Brazil event. “We enjoyed that so very much, especially since Eric was involved with it.”

The couple were passengers during the family event and bopped town with many familiar faces.

The Facebook post that started it all...

“We saw several people we hadn’t seen in years,” said Art.

The couple, married for 78 years, were Brazil High School friends before becoming sweethearts and ultimately getting married. They settled down in the area and raised a family of five children.

Art says his father’s love of General Motor’s vehicles, especially

COURTESY - Art Jensen’s father’s brand new ‘36 Oldsmobile.

Oldsmobiles have been passed down through the years.

“Our family really is an Oldsmobile family. When I was about six, I remember my dad bought a brand new ‘36 Oldsmobile,” said the patriarch. “I think everybody in our family, over the years, has had an Oldsmobile at some point.”

Art is pleased that Eric has an appreciation for old cars.

“He has a couple of really nice old ones,” Art said. “Eric’s rebuilding one from the ground up. Our family just enjoys old cars.”

Which is why Art said it made perfect sense his grandson would make the Facebook post that would launch “Cruising Brazil.”

“We saw quite a few people we knew that night. It was a really big crowd” Art said. “Our daughter drove us around in her Subaru; there were five us in there.”

The couple admit they cruised the main street while dating for two years before they were married in 1948.

“It was exciting,” said the Jensens, who plan on bopping Brazil again during Cruising Brazil 2.0.