Patricia "Pat" Jeannine (Smith) Sorensen

Pat (don’t call her Patty) left us on November 8, 2021 after battling dementia for several years.  She was born on July 10, 1946 in Grand Island, Nebraska to Hyle and Eva (Jean) Smith - and was an adorable little girl with the reddest hair and the brightest smile.

Her dad was in the Air Force so the family lived in many different places, both in the U.S. and abroad.  She was an outgoing girl, very popular, and with a bouffant to die for!  

In 1967, in a bowling alley in Fairfield, California, she met Dick.  She always said it was his eyes that attracted her.  The rest of him must have been okay too because three months later, they were married in Reno. 

Pat left everything she knew and moved to northern Minnesota with Dick – which surely was a bit of a culture shock.  She adapted quickly and fit right into the Sorensen family.  Kris was born in 1968 and Mike was born in 1969 – she was a loving and devoted mom to both despite the many headaches they probably gave her.

In 1986, she decided to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse.  Going back to school at age 40 was not an easy thing and she had her doubts along the way, but she became an LPN – a testament to her stubborn nature.

More important than the trajectory of her life was the way that she made her way through that life – with bravery and humor.  She wasn’t perfect but who is?  We’re all better people for knowing her, loving her, and being loved by her.  We’re so very happy that she’s no longer trapped in that uncooperative body and that she no longer has to struggle to remember the countless people that she’s touched during her 75 years.  We will miss her so much.

Pat is survived by her husband, Dick; daughter, Kris; son, Mike; brother, Dane (Becky); grandchildren Brittany, Anthony, Mikhayla, Hannah, and Suzanne; and several brothers and sisters in law, nieces and nephews.

There will be no service.  If you are so inclined, you may make a memorial donation to the Alzheimer’s Association or to Saint Francis Service Dogs (www.saintfrancisdogs.org) but, really, what Pat would have loved is for folks to just raise a glass of their favorite beverage, give a little toast, and remember her fondly.  To sign the guestbook online, go to:  www.srtfuneral.com.  Arrangements are with McGregor Funeral Home and Cremation Service.

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