Elmer O. Sorenson

Elmer Sorenson, age 71, of Decorah died Friday, October 1, 2010 at his home after a sudden illness. Funeral Services will be on Thursday, October 7, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. at the Schluter – Balik Funeral Home in Decorah with Rev. Allen Vik presiding. Burial will be in the Phelps Cemetery in Decorah, IA. Friends may call from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at the Schluter – Balik Funeral Home in Decorah. There will be an Odd Fellows service at 6:30 p.m., on Wednesday evening. Friends also may call after 10:00 a.m., at the funeral home on Thursday morning. Elmer Orlando Sorenson was born on January 1, 1939, the son of Leonard and Katherine (Hotvedt) Sorenson in Decorah, Iowa. Elmer was baptized on January 22, 1939 and confirmed on April 25, 1954, at the Canoe Ridge Lutheran Church, rural Decorah. Elmer attended rural country school at Glenwood #8 and worked for area farmers after school. Elmer worked for the Fred Carlson Company in Decorah, IA, as a heavy equipment operator for fifty years, retiring in 2005. Elmer married Shirley Carpentier on February 20, 1960, in St. Paul, MN, and to this union, three children were born: Theresa, Richard and Lori. They later divorced and he married Charlotte Burgess, on December 28, 1979, in Cresco, IA. Elmer enjoyed joking and had a good sense of humor; visiting with family and friends, hunting and fishing. He also enjoyed tinkering in the garage where he was a good mechanic. Elmer’s survivors include his wife: Charlotte, Decorah, IA. Son: Richard Sorenson, Decorah, IA. Two daughters: Theresa (Larry) Liget, San Diego, CA. and Lori Kennington, Montello, WI, and four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Two brothers: Lester (Gerry) Sorenson, Decorah, IA and Dale (Connie) Sorenson, Glenns Ferry, ID. Three sisters: Arlene (Duane) Larson, Decorah, IA, Edna Jacobson, Decorah, IA and Marilyn (Jay) Beard, Decorah, IA. Four brothers-in-law: Kenneth (Donna) Burgess, Cresco, IA; Charles (Georgina) Burgess, Cresco, IA; Pat Whalen, Cresco, IA; and Virgil Hovden, Waucoma, IA. Three sisters-in-law: Dorothy McGee, Des Moines, IA, Corrine Arnold, Cresco, IA and Emma Jean (Martin) Koudelka, Cresco, IA. Elmer was preceded in death by his parents: Leonard Sorenson on May 25, 1995 and Katherine (Hotvedt) Sorenson on October 3, 1984. One brother: Arnold Sorenson. One brother-in-law: Harold “Bud” Jacobson. Sisters-in-law: Alice Whalen, Elter Jean Burgess (2 years old), Helen Hovden, Rosemary (John) Ott, and Charlene (Duane) Hageman.