Life Sketch:
Deloy C. Sorenson was born at home on the 23 August 1929 in Ovid,
Idaho to William C. (Bill) and Delma Carlsen Sorenson. Dad weighed over 9
pounds at birth and quipped that he sure knew that was the right weight because
he remembers looking over at the scales. Grandpa Bill told big sister, Joyce that
the stork had brought her new baby brother. Joyce didn't remember seeing any
stork but thought to herself that the Dr. had brought the baby in his big black
bag instead. Deloy had an older sister, Joyce and an older brother, Dale to grow
up with. Later came a beautiful little sister, Bonnie.
As a boy, Dad and his brother, Dale, spent many days out in the hills
north of Bern, herding sheep on grandpa's homestead property. Grandma would
pack food up for Dale and dad and they stayed in a sheep camp weekdays and
grandpa would trade them off on weekends.
When dad's little sister, Bonnie asked him one time why he was limping her
big brother shot back, "A chicken kicked me!"
Dad told Trice that as a boy he was good at milking cows, feeding the
chickens, and planting potatoes with his dad. Grandpa would dig the hole and
dad would drop the potato in. They planted blue button potatoes that dad
remembered grew really, really big ... like Idaho is famous for. Dad also spent his
time in the garden hoeing.
Dad attended grade school in the Ovid School. He said the school year
ended in April back then. He remembered an end of school year picnic out in the
Bern hills on April 27th. Dad rode his horse but the group also took a horse and
wagon to carry the food and others. About 20 students of all ages participated
on this memorable outing.
Dad's boyhood hobbies were fishing on the Ovid creek, Hunting rabbits on
the farm and long hill where they'd ride their horses on top of. AND he enjoyed
riding horses to the chair and into Bern.
Dad graduated from Fielding High School in Paris, ID. His dad's sister, Aunt
Merinda, taught there. Dad tells of ripping his pants early at school one day, he
went to Aunt Merinda for repair assistance. His friends caught him with solid and
stern Aunt Rindy sewing up the seat of his pants.
Va, that was uncomfortable.
Dad served his country during the Korean conflict. He came home on leave
before heading out for Korea on the #18 train that whistled into the station in
Montpelier. He got off the train and walked over to the ballpark, where he
found Dewy, Ez, and Spence who told dad that soon his folks would be pullin' in, in
their very dark green Chevy truck. Imagine the surprise on grandma's face when she
saw Dad leaning on her window!
While in the service, dad learned small arms repair. He was awarded a 3 day
leave for superior work and choose to travel north to visit his cousin Dell, who was
also in the service.
An important experience of dads that our family can keep and pass down is
when dad told of knowing for sure he had received very important help from on
high: While in Korea, dad was sent on a training mission, leaving his unit to
attend the training quite a distance away in Uijeongbu (WeeJonBoo). Only one
man from each company was sent, so dad was quite a ways from his company.
The two civilians in charge of this training completed and ended the training
early. Dad was stranded because of the early out and had no safe way to return
to his unit. Dad told us of the worry he had at being stranded. He had waited
two or three days for his driver to come pick him back up. So the civilians in
charge send him in a truck back towards his unit to Chuncheon (ChoonChon), a
little over halfway back to his unit. Arriving at Chuncheon, He didn't kneel down
he said, but with a mighty prayer for help and guidance and some pondering, he
was able to find a way to get safely all the way back to his company.
Dad was quick to recognize the answer to his prayer when he saw a supply
truck parked just outside the radio shack teepee at that half way point in
Chuncheon where he was trying to call his company.
The first thing dad
noticed was his division number on one end of the truck bumper, the other
bumper end had dad's company number. He found the driver who recognized
dad from being in the chow line. He asked dad what he was doing there, dad
said he was looking for a ride back. The driver was very glad for dad to join him
because it wasn't such a safe place they had to go through to get back it was
sure better traveling through that part of Korea with someone than being alone.
Upon completing his honorable service in the army, Dad returned on a big
ship coming into San Francisco, California. After discharge he rode the train to
our mountain west then hopped on a bus for the final leg home. Getting off the
bus at the Ovid store, he left his duffel bag on the bench there and started his
walk up the hill to his home. In those days Ovid had party phone lines. Neighbors
recognizeddad and called grandma to let her know he was home. She went out to find
him and he was shaking neighbor's hands who had also come out to greet him.
Dad went to work for the Railroad. He traveled up through Idaho with a
crew of young men from here locally. He has told us of working in Sun Valley,
ID. Then dad worked for the telephone company based out of Salt Lake City.
This job took him traveling down through Utah where he worked under the city
streets installing new phone lines.
Dad and mom's first date was to a Fielding High School homecoming
dance, where LaRae was the homecoming Queen. Dad married LaRae Stevens in
Ogden, UT on 24 March 1956. They are the parents of three daughters, Tara,
Sherry Ellen, and Patricia. They were later divorced.
Dad worked at Central Farmers in Georgetown canyon until that mine
closed. He then worked for the Monsanto company in Soda Springs, Idaho
retiring in 1989 after 25 years of employment there as furnace foreman, lead
man. One story we sure are glad dad shared with us is: before dad & Nadine put
an addition on the back, east side of the house we had a lighted porch on the
south side. There was a closet, window seat and two windows. We had places
to hang our jackets and leave our boots, etc .. Dad kept his lunch black bucket
there on the window seat. I think he mostly packed cookies, and just one
sandwich. On lunch break at Monsanto, he sat down at the table with the others to
eat. When he opened his lunch bucket, a miller/moth fluttered up and out of his lunch
bucket. OK....... just a few moments later, an earwig crawled out from the bottom of
hiSlunch bucket. One of the guys quipped, "What else ya got in there, Sorns?
Now dad was 'retired' he was free to enjoy his family and farming. He
raised grain and cattle in Ovid and the Bern hills. We have fond memories of the
cattle drives out to the hills in early summer. Neighbor's, and grandchildren all
helped the mornings we took the cows 'out to the hills' as we called it. The old
cows knew where they were going and would strike out at a good pace down the
road. Dad would have us stop and let up the drive where we'd have a little
snack breakfast when we got through Bern, up the first hills at the sheep corrals.
Often, the first real paying job his grand kid's had was picking rocks on the dry
farm or hauling hay for Grandpa Sorenson. They loved helping their grandpa not
only because it was good to be with him but he always paid well. Dad found
several local boys from Paris and around who wanted to work for the pay they
earned.
On December 30, 1980 dad married Nadine Eborn lutz.
She brought 3
children to live in the white house with the big pine trees. In 1984, another
beautiful daughter, Jennifer. was born.
When Jennifer was young we would take dad's birthday, the 23rd of August,
off and drive to Jackson, Wyoming to spend the day and evening. We would stop
along the way and watch the rafters float the river sometimes enjoying a cheese
and crackers snack. We took a ferry ride across Jenny lake one year and hiked
up to the waterfall, Hidden Falls. Every year we ended the day with a dinner
show at the Bar J Chuck wagon. A great big day full of celebration. Other
important times we were together was the 4th of July gatherings at dad's house
in Paris and Christmas Eve BBQ'd ribs dinners at grandma's house in Ovid.
"Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles
of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and
wholesome recreational activities."
Dad had a great life. He has said if there were any regrets it would be that
he didn't get more schooling after high school and he wasn't able to go on a
mission. His service years in the army ended that. Dad was very happy with his
army career, and high school football playing. Dad played 3rd base on the Ovid
softball team, but in the army he played 2nd base which he didn't like as well.
This was to be a life sketch. Our heritage is rich and wonderful. It has
been said that in life we find exactly what we put into it. Dad had plenty hard
stuff being a child of the depression years, being life flighted from his unit to
Seoul, Korea where he hung dangerously low with hemorrhagic fever for weeks,
and other trials and tests he faced in life. When we look back at our lives, we
find that the moments when we have REAllY lived is when we have done things
in the spirit of love. How does one sketch a life like dad's into a short summary?
When we lived in Cache valley I often cried myself to sleep at night because I
loved and missed my good daddy so much. He was a good dad, very much
loved.
I know I can see dad and other loved ones one day, again. I testify we are
loved, treasured, and that the resurrection is real. Jesus Christ showed us the
perfect way to live. Happiness comes as we recognize and respond to
promptings from the Holy Ghost, the comforter. Dad is glad to have completed
this earthly part of Heavenly Father's plan. In the name