Steve R. Sorensen, former director of the LDS Church Archives  and co-editor of the 5th volume in the Joseph Smith Papers’ document series passed away on May 29, 2009.  In 1980 he started work as an archivist for the Church and went on to serve 16 years as director of the Archives.[1] In 2006, Steve received the Leonard Arrington Award from the Mormon History Association for his lifetime contributions to Mormon history.[2]

Steve R. Sorensen receives the Leonard Arrington Award in 2006 from Davis Bitton [2]

His obituary from the Deseret News states:

Steven Ray Sorensen was born Oct. 18, 1949, in Mesa, AZ, to Bert and Raeola Sorensen. His early years were spent at the P.Z. Ranch near Winkelman, AZ. By age five, his family had located to Phoenix, AZ; and at age 14 to Winslow, AZ, where Steve graduated from Winslow High School in 1967. Steve began college at Northern Arizona University on a music scholarship. He interrupted his education to serve as an LDS missionary in the Kentucky/ Tennessee mission. After his mission, he continued his education at Ricks College in Rexburg, ID, and later at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, where he earned a B.S. in history and a M.S. in library science. Steve’s greatest loves were his family, LDS church history and fishing a dry fly. In 1974, Steve married Mareen Peterson in the LDS temple in Provo. In 1980, he began a distinguished career as an archivist for the church, serving many years as the Director of Church Archives, a stimulating job that took him to many areas of the world. Steve’s significant contributions to the preservation of the church’s history were acknowledged by many, including the Mormon History Association, which awarded him its highest distinction in 2006. At the time of his death, he was an editor of the Joseph Smith Papers. Steve’s earthly life ended May 29, 2009, at the Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, CA, where he had been a lung-transplant recipient following a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. He slipped quietly away surrounded by his wife and seven children. Steve is survived by his wife Mareen; seven children, Dane (Cassandra), Kirsten (Jason) Carson, Andrew (Merilee), Ernest (Melanie), Jon, Annikka (Jason) Fluckiger, Curtis (Emily); 11 grandchildren; five siblings Douglas, Susan Bryson, Andrea Rhoton, Gwen Higginson, Jean Zufelt; and his parents. Steve’s family wishes to thank the doctors and nurses at the Stanford University Medical Center, including the Heart and Lung Transplant team, as well as Dr. Tracy Hill in Provo, UT, who worked tirelessly to allow Steve to spend more precious time with his family and loved ones. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, June 4, at 11 a.m., at the Sharon East Stake Center at 1060 E. 2400 N., Provo, UT. Public viewings will be held on Wednesday, 6-8 p.m., at the Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary, at 495 S. State, Orem, UT; and preceding the funeral service at 9:45-10:45 a.m. Interment will be at the Pineview Cemetery, on Highway 47 in Ashton, ID, on Saturday, June 6, at noon. Condolences at www.sundbergolpinmortuary.com In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis, http:// www.coalition forpf.org/cpf_contribute.php.

On a personal note, I met Steve in April of 2007.  I had heard from my hometeaching companion that his father-in-law had been involved at the Church archives and I always had it in my mind that I wanted to meet him.  I was sitting in the foyer one Sunday morning in a sullen mood.  A man walked into the building with an oxygen apparatus. He asked me if I knew what ward his apartment complex was in.  I referred him to the ward clerk and he came back saying he was in the 9th ward.  “That’s my ward,” I said.  Then my hometeaching companion came to talk with him and I realized that this was the Steve Sorensen he had talked about.  Almost immediately we launched into a discussion about the tensions involved in writing Mormon history.  I found his perspective refreshing and relevant.  Thereafter I looked forward to seeing Steve at church, though his illness often prevented him from attending.  I found him at times at the BYU Special Collections or looking at microfilm in the Religion area of the library.   I had the joy of visiting him once in his home. I had my daughter with me and he pulled out the toys he and his wife had there for their grandchildren and let her play with them while we talked. She could have been his own grandchild. In one of the most meaningful gestures to me, he once took me up to the Church Archives to show me around and introduce me to some of his coworkers.  There he introduced me to a number of people, the first of which was Ron Barney.

I was consistently impressed and edified with the breadth of his knowledge and his candor. Steve was never too busy to entertain questions from a lowly undergraduate who, in 2007, was still very unsure about what direction his life would take.  He always took time to talk, which I appreciated then and cherish now.  Though I only knew him for a brief period, he offered strength and encouragement in a time when I needed it most.  I consider my friendship with him one of many tender mercies the Lord has given me in my own journey of faith and discovery. He will be sorely missed.

[2] See the MHA Awards page.