Steven "Steve" A. Sorensen

NORFOLK -- Memorial service for Steven A. "Steve" Sorensen, 61, of Norfolk will be held at 3:00 p.m., Monday, April 17, 2023 at the St. John's Lutheran Church in Norfolk. Rev. Randy Rasmussen will be officiating. Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. until service time on Monday also at the church. No burial is planned at this time. The service will be live-streamed on St. John's Lutheran Church, Norfolk, NE Facebook page. His memorial tribute can be viewed at https://clipchamp.com/watch/HlmKRo8qo2G. Steve passed away on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at the Faith Regional Hospital in Norfolk. Stonacek Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. Steven August Sorensen was born on June 27, 1961, to Wendell and Mary Lou (Schubert) Sorensen in Cherokee, Iowa. Steve grew up in Holstein, Iowa, with his siblings – Lori, Lisa, and Bob – where he worked frequently on a farm north of town, wreaked havoc with his friends and BB gun, and wrestled throughout high school. He graduated in 1980 from Holstein High School, and then attended Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, Iowa, to become an auto mechanic. He worked for several years for Bob Anderson Ford in Missouri Valley, Iowa, and met the love of his life – Cinda Avenell – on a night out with some of his coworkers. After 4 months, they got engaged and were married on April 11, 1992. During this time, he also changed careers, moving from cars to his true passion: trains. As a kid, he was known by name by the local train engineers because he would often hop on the train as it passed through Holstein on its way to Galva. His first engineer job was on the Fremont Dinner Train. Later, he joined the Iowa Interstate Railroad and worked for them for 30 years. He was known as a very knowledgeable, safe, and conscientious engineer. Throughout these years, his family grew. His firstborn, Andrew, was born in 1985 during a previous marriage, and Kelcy and Kristyn followed later in 1994 and 1996, respectively. Andrew remained with his birth mother, but Kelcy and Kristyn grew up with their parents – Steve and Cinda – in Omaha, Nebraska. Together, they made many memories: taking time every summer to go on “family vacation”; going deep-sea fishing on Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota, or “shallow-sea” fishing on Standing Bear Lake in Omaha, Nebraska; cheering on their girls during many softball and volleyball games; and eating family dinners together nearly every evening. Steve loved his family dearly, and often said that marrying Cinda was one of the best decisions of his life and that he was so, so proud of his children. Steve retired from the railroad in 2020 after receiving an initial diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease. As his disease progressed, however, he was found to have a more rare form of Parkinson’s called Multiple Systems Atrophy (MSA) – a disease without a known cause or cure. With this diagnosis, Steve and Cinda moved from their home of nearly 30 years in Omaha, Nebraska, to Norfolk, Nebraska, to be closer to Kristyn and her growing family, as well as, have more support as Steve’s disease progressed. Steve got to see two of his grandchildren – Hadyn and Hunter – nearly every day during his time in Norfolk, and had many weekends with all his “girls” as Kelcy drove to Norfolk nearly every weekend to spend time with her family and enjoy the “family breakfast” together every Saturday morning. He enjoyed many holidays with his children – Andrew, Kelcy, and Kristyn – and all his grandchildren – Hadyn and Hunter (mothered by Kristyn), and Lydiah, Wyatt, Sybil, and Clyde (fathered by Andrew). Between their efforts, Cinda, Kristyn, and her husband were able to keep Steve at home until the final 3 weeks of his life. He died on April 13, 2023, due to progression of MSA surrounded by family, and covered in both love and comfort. Steve will continue to live on in the memories of those who know and love him. Steve is survived by the following: his wife, Cinda Sorensen, of Norfolk, Nebraska; his children, Andrew (Samantha Dick) Sorensen of Des Moines, Iowa, Kelcy Sorensen of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Kristyn (Andrew) Biggerstaff of Norfolk, Nebraska; his 6 grandchildren; his parents, Wendell and Mary Lou Sorensen of Holstein, Iowa; his sisters, Lori (Myron) Murphy of Holstein, Iowa, and Lisa (Perry) Littlejohn of Muscatine, Iowa; his brother, Bob (Laura) Sorensen of Lakewood Ranch, Florida; his sisters- and brothers-in-law, Ron and Robyn Hirschman of Laurel, Nebraska, and Jason and Alyssa Avenell of Bennington, Nebraska; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his infant brother, Russell “Rusty” Lee, maternal and paternal grandparents, parents-in-law, several aunts and uncles, and infant niece, Taryn Hirschman. Memorials can be sent to The MSA Coalition® at https://www.multiplesystematrophy.org/donate/ to fund research towards a cure, educate health care professionals on the disease, and provide information and hope for affected individuals, families, and caregivers. Condolences may be expressed to the family on-line at www.stonacekfuneralchapel.com.

Tributes

Steven "Steve" A. Sorensen

June 27, 1961 - April 13, 2023