Esther Alma (Hansen) Sorensen

Esther Alma Sorensen, 101, of Cherokee, formerly of Latimer, passed away Tuesday, August 31, 2004, at the Sioux Valley Memorial Hospital in Cherokee.

Funeral services will be held at 1:30 PM on Friday, September 3, 2004, at the Nazareth Lutheran Church in Coulter with Rev. Mary Peterson officiating. Burial will take place at St. Peter’s Cemetery in rural Coulter.

Visitation will be held Thursday evening, September 2, 2004, from 5:00-8:00 PM at the Ewing Dugger Funeral Home, 320 East St., in Latimer and continue one hour prior to services at the church.

Esther was born April 23, 1903 on a farm in Franklin County, Iowa south of Coulter. She and her twin brother, Alvin, were the youngest of nine children born to Peter and Marie (Jacobsen) Hansen. She and Alvin were the first babies baptized in the Nazareth Lutheran Church at Coulter of which Esther was a faithful member all of her life.

Esther lived with her sister, Celia and Henry Winthers, for several years when she was a child. She attended Country School and Coulter Public School through 10th grade. Eleventh grade was completed in Cedar Falls. She then spent time in California helping her sister, Celia, and family. After a year, she returned to complete her senior year and graduate from Ellsworth High School in Iowa Falls.

Esther took nurse’s training at Anker Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she met her life long friend, Agnes Wedell. She then returned to Coulter where she worked as a private duty nurse.

On August 10, 1927, she married Andrew Sorensen, and moved to Latimer. Some of her proudest family moments were the confirmations and graduations of her five children and the celebration of their weddings.

She loved the church, sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, served as president of the Ladies Aid and participated in all church events. Esther loved gardening and flower arranging. She was also a very good cook. Esther was an active member of the Latimer Park Society, Coulter Cemetery Society and the longest active member of the Latimer Band Mothers. She was a devoted wife and mother raising five children – Lois, Rhogene, Marilyn, Caryl and Andrew.

Left to mourn Esther’s passing are her daughter, Lois Hobson along with her children Dan and Sandy Hobson of Des Moines, Kathleen Hobson of Rock Island, Illinois and Joelle and Frank Pigott of Cherokee; daughter, Rhogene Sorensen of Grand Rapids, Michigan; son-in-law, Don Heineking of Iowa City along with his children Mark Heineking of Iowa City, Kris and Joe Barrash of Iowa City, Lisa Heineking of Walnut Creek, California; daughter, Caryl VandeVoort and her husband Lew of Grand Rapids, Michigan along with their children Matthew and Brenda VandeVoort of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Heidi and Hudson Nam of Seoul, Korea, Beth VandeVoort of Chicago, Illinois; son, Andrew Sorensen of Seattle, Washington; and eight great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Andrew; and her daughter, Marilyn Heineking.