Florence Sorum

Florence Eleanor Sorum, 88, died July 24, 2016, at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, ND, surrounded by her family. Florence Eleanor (Peterson) Sorum was born September 26, 1927, in Reynolds, ND, to Richard and Emma (Tweeton) Peterson. She was baptized October 23, 1927, also in Reynolds, ND. She was confirmed and married at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Hillsboro where she was an active member of the women’s ministries. Florence’s father Richard died when she was a very young child. She and her mother and sister Ruth spent many summers on her grandparents’ farm near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. Florence was a lifelong resident of Hillsboro and graduated from Hillsboro High School in 1945. She trained to become a Registered Nurse as part of the Cadet Nurse Corps, graduating in 1948 from Hamline Asbury School of Nursing in St. Paul, MN. Following her graduation she worked at St John’s Hospital in Fargo, ND. On November 17, 1949, she married Duane Sorum, and for nearly 67 years, they worked together as a team including the raising of their five children. During the 1960’s and 1970’s she continued her nursing career part-time at the Hillsboro Community Hospital and Nursing Home, and in the summer she served as the nurse for the Migrant School. She was the activities assistant at the Hillsboro Nursing Home from 1986 until her retirement in 1995. Above all Florence enjoyed caring for others, and her family always looked forward to special treats that she and Duane created, especially their lefse and anything they made from the bounty of their grapevines and apple tree. Her loving and gracious ways were an inspiration to her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all she met. Survivors include her husband, Duane Sorum, of Hillsboro; her sister, Ruth Siegert, Hillsboro; her children - Elizabeth (Scott) Carpenter of Park Falls, WI; Anita (Dennis) Jurgens of Milford, CT; Kathleen (Zane) Parks of Lincoln, NE; Kristi (David) Pederson of Boise, ID; and Paul Sorum of Osakis, MN; her nine grandchildren - Lora Carpenter-Janike (Pat) of Lincoln, NE; Gwen Pritchard(Shawn) of Duluth, MN; Meredith Ross (Jordan) of Omaha, NE; Ethan Parks (Kelsey) of Lincoln, NE; Krista Sheets (Nathanael) of Lincoln, NE; Andrea Pederson of Phoenix, AZ; Michael Pederson of Nashville, TN; Luke Sorum of Alvarado, MN; and Mara Otts (Mitchell) of Alexandria, MN. Also surviving are her ten great-grandchildren - Jazmine Bergeron; Lucas, Parker and Elliot Janike; Greta, Lydia and Veronica Pritchard; Keelie Parks; Peter Ross and Noah Otts; and several cousins and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father, Richard Peterson, and her mother, Emma Peterson. FUNERAL SERVICE: 2 PM Saturday, July 30, 2016 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Hillsboro PRAYER SERVICE: 7 PM Friday, July 29, 2016 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Hillsboro VISITATION: 5-7 PM Friday at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church – and also one hour prior to the service on Saturday BURIAL: Riverside Cemetery in Hillsboro