Carolyn Sorenson

   Carolyn Marie Sorenson (Mama C) of Spring Valley, Wisconsin Born June 8, 1952 in Minneapolis passed away suddenly July 14th, 2020 at her home.

   Daughter of Willis and Marlene (Graftaas) Doran of Bloomington, Minnesota. She graduated from Bloomington Kennedy High School (as a total babe) in 1970.

   She made the big move away from home to St. Cloud University and accomplished a degree in education. From that day forward, she dedicated her life, passion & career to helping adults and children with special needs. Years later, she went on to get her Masters degree in school administration in 1999 from UW-Superior.

   Carolyn married Robert Hardy in September 1980 in Bloomington. While the marriage dissolved in 1986, it allowed her to bring her pride, joy & ultimately her best friend & daughter, Heather into the world.

  Years later, she was invited to a fabulous affair, Spring Valley Dam Days, and was set up on a blind date with Larry Sorenson. The rest was history. (Thank you Cindy Helmke for your match making skills!)

   The couple married and moved to Spring Valley in 1990, where she was embraced by the community and extended family with love, support and a wonderful environment for her, Heather & the Larster. Weekends were spent on the SV golf course together, carting around Heather to various events and enjoying the pace of life outside of the Twin Cities.

   Carolyn worked across several school districts in Western Wisconsin and the Twin Cities, ultimately retiring from Stillwater Schools in 2018. She loved her work so much, even with the demands and hours of working with special need students, it just filled her heart and gave her true purpose. You could easily tell the lasting impressions of her 40+ year career, Carolyn exuded inclusivity, empathy & compassion to people from all walks of life. Larry & Heather would like to thank those who instilled these values to our beloved wife & mother.

   With such a dedicated career, you could say Larry & Heather were worried Carolyn wouldn’t know what to do with herself once retired. We were soon proven wrong! She had a whole new lease on life and embraced her precious time.

   She was the best travel companion, always up for exploring, a glass of bubbles or a great meal. She had wonderful memories of trips with Larry & Heather to Hawaii, Sweden, Copenhagen, Montreal, Ottawa, London, Paris and most recently to Mirepoix, France, which is where her daughter & son-in-law will have a marriage celebration in September 2021 and what she deemed “her happy place.”

   Carolyn loved spending time with her family, friends and chatting non-stop over her green teas at Caribou Coffee (they even started ordering shortbread especially for her). She would call her dear friend Dee at least 5x a day and gab during her water aerobics class at the Baldwin Fitness Center.

   Carolyn is survived by her loving husband, Larry Sorenson, daughter Heather Hardy-Brown & (as of Friday!) son-in-law, Benjamin Brown of Broxbourne, United Kingdom, step daughter Tasha Hardy and husband Indy Feige of Austin, Texas, sister Kathy Peterson & Glen Peterson of Lake Elmo, Minnesota, sister Sharon Miller & Pat Miller of Cloquet Minnesota and adoring nieces & nephews. She was preceded in death by her loving parents Will & Marlene Doran.

   The last two years of her life are arguably the strongest and happiests for Carolyn.

  While she left this world far too early, she lived big, beautifully & lovingly and we’re so honored she was ours and that she shared so many wonderful memories with us all.

   In honor of her life and legacy and in lieu of flowers, donations in Carolyn’s name to Spring Valley Cancer Care, Baldwin’s Fitness Center and/or the Transition Program at Stillwater Public School are deeply appreciated.

   And as we know, Mama C loved a good social media moment...from loving advice & comments to political perspectives or cucumber salad recipes, she was a well rounded midwestern woman. With that, we’ve started an instagram memorial at, mamac_memorial, we would love if now, later, and in the years to come, you would share any exchanges as her words will forever give us comfort and peace.

   To honor her life, join us at Gilman Lutheran Church for a graveside service on Thursday, July 23rd at 2pm. Please do bring your own seating, respect social distancing & we encourage you to wear masks. Following the ceremony, the family will host a celebration of Carolyn’s life outdoors at the yard of their home at W. 865 Evergreen Ct. Spring Valley, Wisconsin from 4pm onward to toast Mama C.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Carolyn Sorenson, please visit our floral store.