David Luther Sorbel

Rev. David Luther Sorbel went home to be with his Lord and Savior on December 13, 2015. Born in Tracy, Minnesota to Otto and Dolores Sorbel on February 16, 1943. David first lived in Walnut Grove with his mother, sister and maternal grandparents (Emma and Swen Swenson) while his father served in the U.S. Army Air Force as a B-17 pilot. After the war, his parents and sister moved to Minneapolis where his father became a grocer. In the summers he still enjoyed visiting his cousins who lived on a farm. We believe this is where he, at an early age, learned the importance of hard work and responsibility. Traits that remained with him for the rest of his life. Farm life was fun but to earn some extra money he picked up work as a paper boy and a dishwasher. While attending Patrick Henry High School, he was a drum major for the marching band and president of the Hope Lutheran Church youth group. Summer now included trips to Mt. Carmel on Lake Carlos near Alexandria, Minnesota. It was at this beautiful Bible camp that he met the daughter of Reverend Arnie and Evy Stone. Her name was Dodie, and they eventually fell in love. After high school, Dave attended the University of Minnesota for two years and then transferred to, and graduated from, Mankato State with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He went on to marry Dorayne (Dodie) Stone on August 27th, 1966. While attending Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary, he took a job as the night manager at the newly built Ebenezer Tower (Minneapolis) where he enjoyed visiting with the residents. His seminary internship was at St. Paul’s in White Center, a suburb of Seattle Washington, where he actually enjoyed the rainy weather. Later in life, he often mentioned returning and rooting for his second favorite (we think) professional football team (the Seahawks). While completing his final year of seminary, Dodie gave birth to John David in December of 1970. The young parents were so proud and felt very blessed to start building a family. It was a great time in their lives, but also the beginning of a lot of firsts as a family. The spring after John was born Dave earned his Master’s in Divinity, Dave received his first call to St. James Lutheran Church in Minneota, Minnesota. At that time he also served Spring Creek Lutheran Church of Normania Township near Clarkfield, MN. It wasn’t long before the arrival of their first daughter Karen Dorayne in March of 1974. That summer they moved to Bloomington, MN. While in Bloomington, Dave served as associate pastor at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church alongside senior pastor Paul Werger for seven years. One thing that was always on his mind was how much he enjoyed administration and working with the elderly, so he went back to school and earned a Master of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. Soon after graduation, he moved his family to West Union, Iowa, where he was the administrator at the Good Samaritan nursing home. In the summer, he and members of his staff played on a softball team they called “The Turkeys.” In 1984 Dave and family where able to come back to MN where he became the administrator at Knute Nelson Memorial Home. One year later, Andrew Lee was born. This might have been too much for a lesser man but he always trusted that God had a plan. Raising a son in Alex often means thousands of trips to and from daily hockey practices, and thousands of miles to and from dozens of towns, small and large, across the state for games and tournaments. In 2004, after Andrew left for college, Dave entered semi-retirement to contract with other homes and assist them with transitions. Now with more free time on his hands, Dave enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren, playing golf, reading books, leading Bible studies, sending hand written letters in his unique “all caps” font, taking trips up the north shore of Lake Superior, and eventually learning how to carve and paint wooden figurines. He was always ready to sit down with a cup of coffee and discuss theology, home repair or any other subject. But above all else, he enjoyed visiting with and doing things for the people he loved. Dave was preceded in death by his parents Otto and Dolores Sorbel, and sister Vonne Jenson. He is survived by his wife Dorayne Sorbel, children John (Theresa) Sorbel, Karen (Ryan) Tollefson and Andrew Sorbel, grandchildren Erik Sorbel, Kate Tollefson and Annika Tollefson, and siblings Steve (Barb) Sorbel, Marilyn (Kal) Bergstrom, and Jonathan Sorbel and brothers in law Gordon Jenson and Dale Stone. Visitation will be held Friday, December 18, 2015, 5-7 PM at the Anderson Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Funeral service will be held on Saturday, December 19, 2015, 11:00 AM at Living Word Lutheran Church in Alexandria. Burial will be at Kinkead Cemetery.

David Luther Sorbel

February 16, 1943 - December 13, 2015