Aged: 95 yrs, 29 days

Born: Jan. 24, 1931; Des Moines, Polk County, IA

Died: Feb. 22, 2026

(1) Celebration of Life: Sunday, March 8, 2026; Hope Church, Phoenix, Arizona
(2) Memorial service: June 20, 2026, Ingham Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp, Iowa

He leaves his children, Mark (spouse, Tonya) and Paul (spouse, Carol); grandchildren, Tedra (spouse, Luke) Jorgensen, Gavin, Briele, David (spouse, Desirae) Sorensen, Nathan (spouse, Lana) Sorensen, and April (spouse, Matt) Brien; great-grandchildren, Austin, Trista, Silas, Finnegan, Anna Eleise Jorgensen and Raya Jeanne and Elias Conrad Sorensen; sister-in-law, Lona (spouse of the late Fred "Skip") Louis; brother-in-law, David (spouse, Sandy) Nielsen; sister-in-law, Cheryl Nielsen (spouse of the late Stan); other family members and friends

Predeceased by: Parents, Earhard and Esther Sorensen; sister, Evelyn Christiansen (and spouse, Bob); brothers, Edward (and spouse, Jeane) and Arthur (and spouse, Joan); brother-in-law, Fred "Skip" Louis; brother-in-law, Stan Nielsen

Education: Graduated from Des Moines East High School; played on the "Snooseville 5" basketball team, played on the football team at high school, and also played at Dana College in Blair, Nebraska.

Religious affiliation: His faith was very important to him, and he maintained life-long friendships from Highland Park Lutheran Church while in Des Moines, IA. While farming after his marriage, he and Jeanne were very active in Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Jacksonville, IA--singing in the choir, sponsoring the Luther League youth group and sharing their faith with family and friends; they faithfully attended their sons' many school, concert and sporting events. They were on the board for Outreach Ministries, which launched the Mustard Seed Christian Bookstore, and Connie served on the Board of Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp.

Military service: Enlisted in the U. S. Army and served in England. One of his highlights from that time was seeing the coronation parade for Queen Elizabeth in 1953.

Marriage: Jeanne (maiden name not provided); Sep. 26, 1953; Bethlehem Lutheran Church; Jacksonville, IA.

Employment: Connie and Jeanne spent their first years of marriage in Des Moines, IA, where Connie worked for his father's company, Western Soda Fountain; his duties there included fabricating and installing restaurant equipment and furniture in cafeterias and diners throughout central Iowa. Their two sons, Mark and Paul, were born while living in Des Moines, and in 1959 the family moved to the Jacksonville, IA area and eventually settled on the family farm where Jeanne grew up.

In the fall of 1976, Connie and Jeanne accepted the role as co-directors of Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp, where they worked for 17 years; they then served part-time for another 13 years while their son Mark was the director. Connie spent many hours sharing the vision of the camp with pastors, churches, farmers, bankers, family and others in Western Iowa who would eventually support the camp. He also led the construction and remodeling of facilities that helped the camp become a beautiful, year-round second home for countless families and youth. Ingham-Okoboji camp has been recognized for its emphasis on youth, family and senior adult programs.

Hobbies/Interests: His favorite pastime at the camp was drinking coffee with campers and swapping stories of faith. In recent years, Connie enjoyed their retirement in Arizona and involvement in the Fiesta Club at Community Church of Joy, and, more recently, the Men of Hope and People of Prayer groups at Hope Church, where their son Paul is pastoring. For many summers he and Jeanne traveled back to Okoboji to volunteer at the camp. Whether in Arizona or Iowa, he loved visiting with friends and family.

#2 Funeral card addressed to Friends at Christ Lutheran, Blair, Nebraska

(photo)

Celebration of Life
Connie Sorensen
June 20th at 10am, Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp Chapel, Picnic Lunch to follow

With gratitude for a life well-lived in service to his Lord and to others, we invite you to celebrate the life of Conrad Sorensen who passed away February 22, 2026. Connie, alongside his wife Jeanne, served faithfully as co-directors of Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp beginning in 1976 and then jointly with Ingham Lake Bible Camp in 1985, a total of 17 years full-time and many additional years part-time and as volunteers. Thousands upon thousands of people were blessed and brought to deepened faith in Christ through their multiplied labor of love.

Memorial gifts can be given to Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp.

~~~ obituary and funeral card courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Public Library, Blair, Nebraska~~~

FindaGrave # 303996310