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Edmund “Rex” Sorby died Monday, April 27th, 2015 at Ingleside Manor, near Madison, WI after a valiant battle with cancer.
Rex was born in Valley City, ND on October 19th,1933. He was the eldest child of Obert and Elsie (née Johnson) Sorby. He grew up on a farm outside Hastings, ND and graduated from Hastings High School in 1951. Rex enlisted in the USAF in 1951 and was trained as a cryptographer. He was stationed in the Philippines with the 29th Radio Squadron Mobile at Clark Air Force Base until his discharge in 1955.
While enlisted, he married Shirley Ernst in St. Louis, MO on December 27th, 1952. Together they had one daughter.
On December 10th, 1957, he married Francine Tehovnik in Britton, South Dakota. The couple spent the majority of their married life in Sioux Falls, SD. Francine passed away in December 2014.
Until his retirement, Rex was employed as an over-the-road truck driver for various trucking firms in Minnesota and South Dakota, and eventually owned his own truck. During his career he logged over 5 million driving miles.
For the past twenty years, Rex had been living near Memphis,TN. He was very active in the Memphis VFW Post, serving as Quartermaster and Vice Commander. He also attended every reunion for his 29th Radio Squadron Mobile Unit held in Biloxi, MS. At his most recent reunion in Nov. 2014, he was awarded the Silent Warrior medal in recognition of his service during the Korean Conflict.
Rex was most loved for his larger-than-life personality and sense of humor. He always saw the good in everyone. He was generous and always willing to help someone down on their luck. Rex was so proud of his North Dakota roots and his Norwegian heritage and was never short on Ole and Lena jokes.
Grateful for having shared his life are his children, Laurie Burian, O’Fallon, IL, Susan (Dan) Wallner, Madison, WI, and Scott Sorby, Lakeville, MN; grandsons, Christopher Sorby, New York City, NY, Chris Linhorst, St. Louis, MO, and Benjamin Sorby, Cedar, MN; and granddaughters, Aimee Sorby, Palm Desert, CA, Sydney (Samuel) Freitag, Mesa, AZ, Kelsey Wallner, Madison, WI and Molly (Jeremy) Morton, Madison, WI. He is also survived by his brother, Richard (Loretta) Sorby, Fargo, ND and sisters, Eunice Black and Glenyce Olufson, St. Cloud, MN, along with numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, infant son, Shawn Michael, and brother-in-law, Edward Black.
Funeral Services will be held at Spring Creek Lutheran Church in Hastings, ND on Saturday, May 2nd, 2015 at 10:30 AM with Rev. Brad Edin officiating, with burial immediately following at the church cemetery. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church. An on-line guest register is available at www.lerudschuldt.com.
The family is so very grateful to the VA Hospital in Madison, WI for the outstanding medical care our father received there, and the staff at Ingleside Manor and Home Health United Hospice for the loving care they provided until the end of his life.