 | | | June 6, 1927 - July 18, 2024 | | | | | | Lionel "Lee" Winton Sorenson, Jr., M.D., was the only son of Dr. Lionel Winton Sorenson, M.D., and Charlotte Edmunds. Known as "Junior" growing up, Lee spent his early years in Sandy, Utah, where his father served as the town's only physician and surgeon from 1933 to 1939.
At 10 years old, Junior spoke at the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City because they thought he was 12. To this day, the home on 32 East Main Street in Sandy remains a historical site. At the age of 12, the family moved to Corcoran, California, seeking warm weather to heal his mother from rheumatic heart disease. Unfortunately, Charlotte passed away in 1940.
Lee was active in Scouting as a boy and attended Corcoran High School for three years with his class of 44 students, leaving after his junior year for Fresno State. Lee was a star runner, participating in Fresno State's track team, known as "one of the best all-civilian teams in the country." After serving in the Navy as World War II concluded, Lee enrolled in the University of California Medical School's joint Berkeley-San Francisco program. He fell in love with ophthalmology during his medical training, completing a residency at UCSF and Santa Clara in 1956. After working in Berkeley as a private ophthalmologist for a few years, he partnered with Owen Dickson in 1956 and worked uninterrupted until March 17, 2020, when the office closed due to the worldwide pandemic. His nearly 70 years as a practicing physician belongs in the record books.
Lee's real love was always his wife and family. In 1948, during his time at the University of California, Berkeley, Lee met Ann Fornoff at the LDS Church in Berkeley. Once Ann saw the sparkle in his eye, it was instant love. Their first date, the Cal-Northwestern Rose Bowl game (13-14 loss in the last one minute), set up a lifelong love of Cal Football. They married in 1950 in the Logan Temple. Together, Ann and Lee raised five sons: John, Bob, Dan, Bruce, and Andy. Lee and Ann pursued many activities, including tennis, golf, running, water skiing, and all sorts of exercise. Lee competed in dozens of races, including the 1980 Boston Marathon. He was also an avid golfer and golf practicer, chipping and putting every day and regularly competing at the local club for a few dollars. Famously, he would also remind you that he played with the best domino players in the world. He loved to play Boggle with all visitors and did not mind coming up short, despite some made up words. Lee served as the Sunday School President for 20 years and was known for sharing an eclectic inspirational quote prior to each class, and he sang off key in the Ward Choir for 40 years. The Sorenson home always featured music, with Lee on the guitar, Ann on the piano, and songs from the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s shared with groups of all sorts in sing-a-long format.
Lee was known by all he met as a man of perfect integrity, genuine modesty, and absolute kindness. He was kind to everyone-patients, neighbors, grandchildren, golfers, runners, and guests. The sparkle in his eye and his cute smile never lapsed.
Lee is survived by his wife, Ann, and sons John Alan Sorenson (Miriam Smith), Robert Lynn Sorenson (Stephanie Sorenson), Bruce Fornoff Sorenson (Connie Sorenson (1958-2016); Catherine Soso), Daniel Scott Sorenson (Roberta Sorenson), and Andrew Lee Sorenson (Riki Sorenson); 21 grandchildren (Rebecca, Sarah, Stephen (d), Becca, Scott, Karen, Chris, Sandy, Krystina, Suzie, Julie, Laura, Sophie, Brenda, Skip, Kristen, Joey, Jacob, Zach, Kacey, Michael); and 31 great-grandchildren (Michael, Matthew, Grace, William, Sophie, Annemarie, Casen, Lily, Eliza, Clara, Natalie, Heidi, Wendy, Frank, Mary Lou, Harvey, Ginger, Kailee, Koen, Stanislaus, Ellie, Norm, Daphne, Donna, Eli, Georgia (d), Arik, Lionel, Isla, Gus). Another is on the way (that we know of).
Memorial Services will be held on Saturday, Aug. 3, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3776 V°a Granada, Moraga, California. Those wishing to visit with family may arrive at 9 AM. In lieu of flowers, please take your kids out for ice cream. |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA