David Norris Sorensen

David N. Sorensen, 69, died August 25, 2016 of pancreatic cancer. He was born in Ogden, Utah, but he and his wife, Judy, chose to make Pocatello their home for the last 30 years. Known as a master teacher, he touched countless lives as a professor of Speech Pathology at Idaho State University, as an LDS Bishop, and most importantly, as a loving father and grandfather. He loved to learn and filled his life with good books, great conversation, and dear friends.
David received his Ph.D. in Speech Pathology from Purdue University in 1980. He taught at the University of Oklahoma (Go Sooners!) for five years before joining the faculty at ISU where he taught until his retirement in 2012. He was a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, one of his profession’s highest honors, for his academic research and commitment to exceptional teaching.

David served three times as an LDS Bishop – he always joked that it took more than once to get it right – and took seriously the call to “carry one another’s burdens that they may be light.” In good times or bad, Bishop Sorensen was never more than a call away and, even at 3am, you knew that he would arrive in a proper suit and tie, ready to help.
As a teenager, David lived on Laon-Couvron Air Force Base in France. He later returned to Paris as a missionary. He loved everything about France. Even though his French had long since been replaced by franglais, he still loved warm pain au chocolat and listening to his worn French vinyl records.

David married Judy Bonnemort on August 14, 1969 in the Salt Lake City Temple. Even after 47 years together, they were still the quintessential happy couple. They are the parents of three children: Adam, Mathew, and Steven; and five grandchildren: Logan, Landon, Ethan, Kaitlin, and Owen.

David was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2012, which softened his voice and shortened his stride. The strong and confident voice that commanded classrooms became much harder to hear, but anyone willing to lean in and listen carefully could still hear his characteristic wit and wisdom.

His journey was not easy at the end, but his good humor, enduring faith, selfless service, and resolve in the face of adversity will be his lasting legacy.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Tuesday, August 30 at the Highland Stake Center (2140 Satterfield Drive). Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, August 31 at 11:00 am at the Highland Stake Center. Interment will be in the Mountain View Cemetery in Pocatello.