Janice Sorenson

Janice Sorenson, 93, of Alta died March 3, 2025, at Accura Healthcare in Aurelia.

Funeral services will take place Friday, March 7, at 1 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Rembrandt. Burial will be at 5 p.m. in Immanuel Lutheran Church Cemetery in Alta. Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at the church. Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements.

Janice Anita Sorenson was born at the Scott Township home of her parents, Frances Olivia (Johnson) and Louis (Louie) Arthur Hansen, on June 12, 1931. She was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church, which was founded by her great-grandparents. She attended Highview School, and as a teenager, was active in high school basketball, 4-H and church. A few months after graduating in 1949, she moved to Omaha to attend secretarial school at Commercial Extension.

In Omaha she lived with the Schlossberg family and cared for their young daughter while in school and while she worked at World Insurance. Her high school sweetheart, Dale Sorenson, followed her to Omaha and worked at Bishop’s Cafeteria to be near her. On Sept. 24, 1950, she married that high school sweetheart, at Immanuel Lutheran Church of Scott Township, the church her grandfather and father helped build. The couple moved to Sioux Rapids, where she worked at the post office and the ice cream counter of George’s Drugstore. When Dale was drafted into the Army about five months later, she lived with her parents until he completed basic training and the couple then moved to Williamsburg, Va., where she worked for Lt. Methany. When Dale shipped out to Korea, Janice returned to her parents’ home and worked at the Storm Lake Courthouse. In April 1953, she drove to Omaha to pick up Dale, who had been honorably discharged from the Army in time to attend the funeral of Janice’s grandfather, Claus Johnson.

Janice’s parents moved to Storm Lake, and she and Dale moved to the family farm in Scott Township where she was born. Together they farmed for decades raising corn, soybeans, alfalfa, dairy cattle, feeder cattle, black Angus cattle, laying hens, pigs and sheep. They also raised thousands of turkeys and often gave them away on load-out day to any neighbor who wanted one. She was Dale’s right-hand companion in farm operations and worked countless hours as a farm wife combining, planting, disking and plowing their land. While picking corn in 1989, she found a part of the DC-10 plane from United flight 232 that crashed in Sioux City, after the tail-mounted engine failed over the farm.

As an adult she was active in Eastern Star, and every aspect of Immanuel Lutheran Church, where she was the church organist for many years. She was a 4-H leader, enjoyed sewing, baking, playing cards and gardening. She canned many quarts of tomatoes and green beans, froze an untold number of strawberries and ears of sweet corn, and baked the best homemade cinnamon rolls. No matter who you were, visitors were always treated to baked goods and a cup or two of hot coffee.

Janice and Dale spent 24 fun filled winters in Mesa, Ariz., and then moved from the family farm into Alta, where they continued growing and sharing produce from their large garden. In 2023, they moved together to Wel-Life at Alta, where she spent most of her hours resting.

Janice was predeceased by many friends and family members, including her only sister, Ardys.

She is survived by Dale, her husband of 74 years; their four children: Susan Sorenson (Richard Berk), Sally (Jim) Anderson, Sheila (Dan) Bennett and Steve Sorenson (Renae). She had nine grandchildren: Michael Berk, Ryan (Jill) Buckendahl, Brittney (Logan) Peters, Brooke (Ryan) Weber, Taylor (Rachel) Bennett, Ava Sorenson and Anna Sorenson. Great-grandchildren are Stella, Dean, Evie, Emilia and Dawsyn. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Gayla Sorenson. Janice will live on in their hearts.