James Luke Sorenson

So sorry for your loss. Luke was our Bishop and he was amazing! What a great example of Christlike love. He will be missed!!

Dear Meredith, I am so sorry you have to experience this sadness and loss. I know you will be surrounded by love from both sides of the veil, supported and comforted. The Lord loves you. Luke is in awe of your strength and service to him and your family. I pray you will find peace as you move forward now in faith. ❤️ Marty Halverson-Evans (Amy’s mom)

Luke and I had many conversations that were pivotal to me. Our conversations on pacing and spirituality were the most profound and oddly so intertwined that they’re forever linked in my mind. This man is a gentle giant in my mind. Gone too soon.

I remember Luke as a good man, a good friend and a good leader. He will be remembered an missed.

I remember watching Luke play a game of chess in his backyard on Chapel Oaks Circle during a neighborhood party. He noticed my interest and was very inclusive.

We love Luke like a brother. He has had a great impact for good on many, many people, including us. We are heartbroken and yet grateful for Luke’s faith and testimony of Jesus Christ that he shares often. Meredith - we love you and your family and pray you will feel peace, strength, and comfort.

Luke is a great leader and friend to many. Always so humble and concerned for the welfare of others. I saw it many times in many different environments. We need more people like him in this world. So sorry for your loss.

I had lunch with Luke at a pivotal moment, after being a part of two non-profit organizations merging. Due to his sincere and personable nature, our conversation centered primarily on our families, and on our roles as husbands and fathers. I will be praying for your family.

Our hearts are broken for the loss of your dear husband, father, son and brother. We love Luke and Meredith and appreciate their great influence on us and our children. Our deepest condolences to all of you!

I was lucky enough to meet Luke and Meredith when I was 9 years old- over 20 years ago. They have both played such a special role in my life. Luke was selfless, patient, kind, thoughtful, and so much more. He made each person he came in contact with feel like they mattered. Anyone could see he loved Meredith and each of his children deeply. My whole heart is with your family.

Sorenson family, we are so sorry for your loss. Bishop Sorenson was so loved and will be missed. He was a great and kind man and had such a strong testimony and love for the gospel. He was apart of our wedding and we will always remember him! Sending love and prayers to you all.

Dear Meredith,
It is with deep heartfelt sadness of the passing of your sweet heart. Luke was a man of major Christlike attributes, one who always showed concern for those in need. Know that prayers are to you and your family along with comfort and peace as a strength to you and your family during this time of healing.

For years Luke was anxiously engaged in helping poor saints become self reliant through his involvement with Cause for Hope. His role and leadership will not be forgotten. Our love, respect and prayers are for the entire Sorenson family!

Dear Meredith, and all who loved Luke,
I’m so sorry for Luke’s passing. He was a kind, thoughtful, loving man—attributes we can hardly bear to lose. ❤️

I sang with Luke in the Vocal Ensemble at HHS. He was kind, funny and unassuming. I remember when the group was at the Capitol building and someone joked, “wow this is almost as nice as Luke’s house.” One of my favorite musical memories is singing a duet of “The Last Night of The World” from Miss Saigon with Luke at our Pops concert. He was so kind to humor me and learn a Broadway love song he’d never heard of. I loved the song and I wanted it to be great so of course I wanted to sing it with him - and we sounded so good! It was a special experience. My parents have had him as their Stake President and always spoke very highly of him. Luke we will miss your generous heart! God be with you till we meet again.

As one Luke’s classmates at Hillcrest, I always admired his intellect, kindness, humility and gentleness. He also had a beautiful tenor voice and I was lucky to have sung with him in choir and small groups. Luke was filled with love and light, and this world is a better place because he was in it!

In high school, where social status and popularity can dominate the social landscape, Luke’s genuine kindness was his most powerful trait. He often went above and beyond to make others feel included and loved. His success was never intimidating and always inspiring. I will never forget his kindness towards me, or the amazing choral experiences we had together that would extend with other members of his family. Although this loss is too soon, his kindness will live on in the lives of those he came in contact with. My deepest condolences are with Luke’s family at this time. Alisa Faber

Luke was our missionary! We have loved him since our first day in the mission. He was our very first assistant and made our way easier. He is a man of God, and we will love him through eternity. Meredith, we love you and our prayers tenderly pour out for you. Halvor and Miriam Clegg

Anziano Sorenson and I served a mission together in Italy. I’ve not seen him since. However, 30+ years later, I still remember with specificity hearing him at a zone conference express his unshakable testimony and love of the Lord. It profoundly impacted me. I pray for peace for his family.

I also served with Anziano Sorenson in the beautiful Italy Milan mission. He was a gentle & powerful leader. He hosted a mission reunion about ten years ago at his beautiful home, & it was so heartwarming to be reconnected.

I am absolutely gutted learning of his passing. Life is short, & he lived fully. Well done, though good and faithful servant.

Our best thoughts are with the family during this challenging time. A thought I like is we often hear at funeral services that “we’ve come to pay our last respects.” I’d like to think that is not true as you likely will find that as time passes your respect for Luke (what he was and what he lived for) will continue to grow more deeply!

Having met Luke at the finish line of Lotoja about five years ago, his humble, gracious exerberance let me know his character was solid. Within the next few years, I was privileged to hear of a few texts he sent to his father that showed he truly is an extraordinary man. His emotional intelligence, humility, gratitude and eloquence defined him, and I am certain he touched every life he could in a similar manner. He made this world a much better place and I am certain he is just as anxious to be with his beloved family again. I am better having barely known him; prayers and blessings to his dear family.

Dear Meredith,
Having only been in your presence only a few times, we stand in awe of your love and devotion of each other. You silently stood beside Luke and were so lovely and gracious in each occasion that we shared. May God, our Heavenly Father, be your constant companion through this difficult journey until you meet again. With love, Sherry and Larry Poulson

I’m sad. I remember him, he inspired me, he showed me how I could become a better person. He is one of the few names I haven’t had to reach for when remembering my mission all those years ago. His life and my memory of the tiny slice of it I shared with him cuts through all the years and care and worry and everything life has piled on these 30 plus years and it still serves as a bright light. My love and care to his family and my condolences at this time of grief and sadness. Also my hope and faith. We will see him again and I hope to be worthy to stand where he is and tell him thank you.

Meredith, my deepest love and condolences to you and your family at the loss of President Sorenson. He was such a kind and loving man. Truly a man of God. One of my cherished memories of him happened as I was working in the temple. He saw me at the end of his endowment session when I was working at the veil. He sent a message to me through one of the other workers to tell me hello. When I was finished, I entered the celestial room and found the whole Stake Presidency there. I greeted them and President Sorensen spoke with me for a few minutes. He was so kind and I felt his love as he spoke. He was truly a servant of the Lord. He will be sorely missed.

What a great legacy Luke has left in each member of his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as wait upon “the day of gladness” where you are united once again.

I was fortunate enough to meet Luke and work with him and his family on projects that make a positive impact on the world. May his memory be blessing for his family and friends forever.

Luke and I were missionary companions for several months in the Italy Milan mission. I don’t think I could overstate the positive impact he had on me as a missionary, and as a person. He pushed me to be a little better each day—not that he made me feel like I wasn’t good enough, or that I wasn’t doing enough; It was just that I could see that he wanted to be better each day. His love for the Lord, his passion and drive to serve, and his ability love others and make everyone feel important and needed were infectious; it made me want to tag along and follow in his footsteps. It is apparent that this is simply the way he lived the rest of his life. I’d say “rest in peace”, but I’ve got a feeling that he’s still working hard; it’s just the location that has changed. Ci vedrem, ci vedrem, ai pie del Salvator. Ci vedrem, ci vedrem. Sia con te fino a quel dì il Signor.

Meredith - I'm so grateful to have met Bishop Sorenson and been taught by you as a primary and young woman. Both you and Luke have been pivotal in my spiritual journey. I have many tender moments with your family when the kids were so young. Bishop Sorenson was the bishop who sent me on my mission and I still remember my last interview before I left on my mission. It is forever engraved in my mind. Love you all.

So sorry for your loss. What a wonderful man. We saw your post on Facebook of the little Superman. What an awesome tribute. We want you, Liz and Craig and your whole family to know our love is with you. Our testimonies of the restoration and the plan of salvation are so valuable at times like this. Love, Vauna & George Cromwell

Dear Jim
I was so shocked and saddened to hear the news of Luke's passing. My prayers are with you and the entire Sorenson family.
Lee

Dear Sorenson Family, we were saddened to hear of the passing of Luke. We send our love and prayers at this tender time of loss. May the Spirit bring comfort.
Lynn and Becky Ames

I remember how much faith he showed in me when I first approached him about my temple worthiness and receiving the Melchizedek priesthood. I'm not sure if it was just a normal interview for him, but for me it was a life changing moment where all the fear and trepidation of being thought of as unworthy melted away. In a few minutes, his interview with me undid an entire lifetime of personal struggle, even just for a little while, and that is something I will forever be grateful to him for. I hope that one day I am able to help someone even half as genuinely as he helped me in that moment. I still struggle with feelings of unworthiness, but the words and actions of President Sorenson will always be a source of strength for me.

Jim and Krista, thinking of you and your family with heartfelt condolences. We are very sorry for your loss and know Luke will be dearly missed. Sending much love, peace, and strength at this very tender time. <3