Donna Durrant Sorensen passed away Monday, June 4, 1990.
She was born to Lorenzo James and Agnes Priscilla Lewis Durrant at Spanish Fork, Utah on December 24, 1904, and was the oldest of six children. Her parents moved to Thatcher, Idaho when she was three years old, then subsequently returned to Provo, Utah, where Mrs. Sorensen attended the BYU Training School beginning in the sixth grade, and continued until she received her Bachelor of Science degree in 1927.
Mrs. Sorensen served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Central States Mission from June 1924 to 1926. She taught at the American Fork High School from 1927 until 1929, where she taught English, speech and drama, directing the school plays.
She married Wesley A. (Brick) Sorensen, of Logan, Utah, on October 10, 1929, in the Salt Lake Temple. They made their home in Salt Lake City, where she assisted her husband in the management of The Doll House Restaurant, which they owned for 42 years.
Mrs. Sorensen gave lifelong service in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, holding administrative and teaching assignments in all the auxiliaries. For nine years she taught the Gospel Doctrine class in the Capitol Hill Ward. In 1936, a call came from President Louise Y. Robison for her to serve on the General Board of the Relief Society. Later at a reorganization of that board, she served as second counselor to President Amy Brown Lyman for three years. She was in charge of the educational courses offered by the society. She served for ten years on this board.
She was a member of the Deseret Sunday School Union Board for 11 years, serving under the superintendencies of George R. Hill and David Lawrence McKay. She wrote a teacher's manual for the Sunday School genealogical course, served on the Gospel Doctrine committee and on the editorial staff of the Juvenile Instructor. She authored a number of special programs which were used on Mother's Day, Easter and Christmas.
She was active in community service as president of the Lafayette School PTA and vice president of the PTA at Horace Mann Junior High School. As a member of the board of Children's Service Society for 13 years, she served for three years as second vice president.
She was a charter member of the Salt Lake Reynold's Club and a member of the Cleofan Literary Club.
She served as president of Sigma Chi Mother's Club in Salt Lake City in 1966. She was elected for the three year term on the BYU Alumni Executive Committee in 1960, and was elected to the BYU Emeritus Club Board of Directors in 1977. She served as vice president for two years, and was the recipient of the Special Recognition Award from th BYU Emeritus Club in April 1983.
One of the activities she was particularly devoted to was genealogical work. She found great joy and spent many hours in gathering her ancestral names. She was an ordinance worker in the Salt Lake Temple from October 1977 until her release in October 1985.
She is survived by: Her husband, Wesley A. (Brick) Sorensen, two daughters, Shauna Lee and Sheila, one son, Steven James, 17 grandchildren, two brothers and one sister; Mr and Mrs. Adrian Perenon (Shauna Lee), Monterey, California, and their daughters, Stacy Nicole and Leslie Christine; Dr. and Mrs. Donald R. Call (Sheila), Saratoga, California, and children, Donald R., Jr., David Wesley, Catherine, Daniel Durrant, Caroline, Douglas Ara, Christopher Cyril, and Matthew Lewis; Dr. and Mrs. Steven J. Sorensen of Vancouver, Washington, and children, Sarah Ann, John Wesley, Rebecca, James Bryant, Michael Steven, Peter Andrew, and David Alfred; one sister, Mrs. Paul W. (Dorothy) Larsen, two brothers, James Russell Durrant and William Stanford Durrant, all of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Funeral services will be Friday, June 8, at noon, in the Ensign Peak Ward Chapel, 125 East North Sandrun Rd. Friends may call at the Larkin Mortuary, 260 East So. Temple, Thursday evening, 6 to 8 p.m., and at the chapel, 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. prior to the service. Interment: Spanish Fork Cemetery.
T 6/6 N3 6/5