Florence R. Sohl

NORFOLK -- Funeral service for Florence R. Sohl, 92, of Norfolk, will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, February 1, 2020 at Northern Heights Baptist Church in Norfolk. Officiating the service will be Pastor Matt Gilmore and worship leader John Grimes. Burial will take place at Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Norfolk. Visitation will be held from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m., Friday, January 31, at Stonacek Funeral Chapel in Norfolk with a prayer service beginning at 6:30 p.m. Florence passed away on Sunday, January 26, 2020, at Heritage of Bel - Air nursing home in Norfolk. Stonacek Funeral Chapel in Norfolk is in Charge of the arrangements. Florence Rose (Roker) Sohl was born on July 24, 1927, to Clarence and Rose (Ellenberger) Roker in a farmhouse near Norfolk, where she would live for over 80 of her 92 years of life. She attended Stanton County District 11 country school through eighth grade, about 2 miles from the farm, and then attended Norfolk Senior High School, where she graduated in 1945. She worked on the farm with her parents, Clarence and Rose Roker, while growing up. After high school, she worked as a Bell telephone operator and met her future spouse, Jesse A. Sohl, while working at the lunch counter at the Hested Store in Norfolk. They were married June 25, 1948, in Hoskins. They were married 48 years and had four sons: David, Jon, Dan and Jesse. They farmed near Winside for two years after they married, then they moved to her home place near Norfolk. She was well known for her hospitality, baking and cooking skills. In the ‘70s, after her sons were in school, she worked at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Norfolk, Dale Electronics and Sherwood Medical until she retired in 1993. Before she went back to work in town, she raised chickens to help support the family. She liked to garden, growing both vegetables and flowers. She enjoyed canning food. She loved the farm and was constantly interested in the day-to-day operation of the farm. Her final battle with cancer ended her life at the age of 92. As a teenager, she heard the gospel preached on a Sunday night by E.H. Sohl at the EUB Church in Hoskins (E.H. Sohl would be her future father-in-law). She understood that she was a sinner and that because Jesus loved her, He had died for her on the cross so she could exchange her sin for His righteousness. She responded to the invitation to come to the front of the church to repent and place her faith and trust in Jesus as her savior. She walked with God faithfully from that point on for the rest of her life. Her power in prayer was unknown to most, but if you ever asked her to pray for you or someone else, she never stopped praying for you and your request. She prayed for several hundred people daily, asking God to meet them in their need. For several years, she baked cookies for families and ministries at Northern Heights Baptist Church. She prayed for and financially supported many evangelistic ministries around the world in addition to her local church. She has touched the lives of people worldwide, who don’t even know her name. Her legacy is the quality of her faith and her passion to love God, do good and to honor the Lord Jesus Christ. Survivors include her children, David (Patty) Sohl, Jon (Gina) Sohl of Norfolk, Dan (Deb) Sohl of Norfolk and Jesse (Shannon) Sohl of Norfolk; 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her spouse, Jesse A. Sohl; her parents, Clarence and Rose; and a sister, Dorothy (Marlin) Sprengler. Music for the funeral will be provided by pianist Eileen Damme and vocalists Auni Strong and Julie Daniel. Casket bearers will be her grandsons Joshua Sohl, Connor Goode, Noe Mireles, Jeremy Holan, Nick Sohl and Derek Sohl. The family requests that memorials be made to Samaritan’s Purse, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607, phone # 828-262-1980. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.stonacekfuneralchapel.com.

Tributes

Florence R. Sohl

July 24, 1927 - January 26, 2020