James S. Sorenson, 74, of De Queen, Arkansas, died Tuesday, November 13, 2018, in Ashland surrounded by family. Funeral services will be 3:00 p.m., Saturday, November 17, at the Courtyard by Marriott, 3301 Lemone Industrial Blvd, Columbia, MO 65201. Visitation will be from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., Friday, November 16 at Bach-Yager Funeral Chapel.
Burial with Military Honors will take place 11:00 a.m., Monday, November 19 at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery, Jacksonville. The family plans to have a memorial service in Texarkana at a later date for his friends from home. Jim was born on May 3, 1944, in Grand Forks, North Dakota to Spencer and Marjorie Nelson Sorenson and they preceded him in death.
Jim was a graduate of Bagley High School and attended Bemidji College for 2 years before being drafted into the U. S. Army where he served as a medic in the Vietnam Conflict from 1965 – 1967. He was awarded the Bronze Star with V device and several Good Conduct Medals. He was united in marriage to Linda K. Hartvikson on December 3, 1966 in Eugene, Oregon.
He finished out his service years at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. They then moved to Corvallis, Oregon where Jim finished his degree in Forest Engineering.
He worked at Snoqualmie, Washington for Weyerhaeuser Company for 4 years, and then was transferred to De Queen, Arkansas in 1975 where he worked as Regional Engineer and Area Forestry Manager. In 2002 he was transferred to Oklahoma and worked there until retiring in 2008. He was a member of the Lions Club and held many professional offices in the Society of American Foresters and Council on Forest Engineering.
He was awarded the prestigious SAF Fellow Award and the Oklahoma Heritage Forester Award in 2016. His greatest joy was serving the Lord and time spent with his family and many friends. In his retirement years he enjoyed traveling with Lyn and family.
Jim is survived by his wife, Lyn; his children, Wendy Sorenson of Springdale, Arkansas, Bradley Sorenson (Joy) of Coral Springs, Florida, Heidi Wilhoit (Galen) of Ashland, Chris Sorenson of Littleton, Colorado, Josh Sorenson (Jennifer) of McKinney, Texas, Cory Stewart of Oshkosh, Wisconsin; grandchildren, Brady and Karenna Wilhoit, Sealey, Eli and Ryder Sorenson; brothers, Ted Sorenson (Mari) of Eagle, Idaho, Gary Sorenson (Sue) of Weiser, Idaho, Scott Sorenson (Ellen) of Saginaw, Oregon; sister, Margo McKillop (Herb) of Pleasant Hill, Oregon; brother-in-law, Henry Svedlund of Vaasa, Finland. He was also preceded in death by a son, Brent Sorenson and a sister, Carol Svedlund. Memorial contributions are suggested to Hospice Compassus or Glioblastoma Foundation, c/o Bach-Yager Funeral Chapel, 1610 N. Garth Ave.
, Columbia, MO 65202.
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