Richard M Sorenson

Richard M Sorenson passed away suddenly at his home in Herriman, Utah on Monday, February 15th, 2021 at the age of 68.

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Richard was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather (Poppa). He is predeceased by his father, Ned, and mother, Hazel. He is survived by his wife Karen, his four sons, Matthew, Jacob, Thomas (Aubrey), and Daniel, his 3 grandchildren, his brothers, Ned (Shirlene), Neil (Caren), Harold (Judy), and Nathan (Brenda), and by his sister Virginia (Kirk) James.

Born October 20th, 1952 to Ned and Hazel (Butterfield) Sorenson, Richard was the third son of what would eventually be six children. Richard would often recount stories of his childhood, to the delight of his listeners.

Richard was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints all his life. In June 1973, at almost 21 years old, Richard left to serve a mission in the California East and California Anaheim missions, where he served faithfully until June 1975.

It was in 1975 that Richard met his lifelong sweetheart, Karen Jo Beeny. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on a very snowy December 12th, 1975. They celebrated 45 wonderful years together. They became the loving parents of four sons, Richard (Matthew), Jacob, Thomas, and Daniel.

Though he never served himself, Richard was a passionate supporter of the Armed Services, and was proud of the service of his father and elder brothers, Ned and Neil. He took great joy in taking the veterans in his family and his employees out for lunch each Veteran's Day. He was working to extend this honor to the next generation, when his health began to fail.

Richard worked as a volunteer firefighter and Lieutenant at the Herriman Station for over 20 years. He worked with Salt Lake County Fire to offer EMT training to all the volunteers at the station. He also earned the EMT designation himself.

In his professional life, Richard believed in the value of hard work. He began working at a young age. He was a professional plumber his whole life, earning his plumber's license in 1978. He began working at the University Hospital in 1983. He worked in various capacities there for 32 years. He retired in 2015. He was very proud of the University Hospital as an institution and of the service it provides to the community. He was honored to contribute to the Hospital's mission by helping to maintain its critical systems.

Creating was one of Richard's favorite things. He loved to work with his hands and build things from wood. When faced with a new project or task, Richard was always good at figuring out how things worked and the best way to approach a problem.

Richard enjoyed playing practical jokes, and did so with a straight face. It was often hard for his wife, Karen, to tell if he was joking or not, and his laughter at the reveal was always infectious.

He enjoyed camping/RV-ing and ATV-ing with his family. They had many wonderful trips to Fish Lake in Central Utah, that his sons remember with fondness.

Services will be held Saturday, February 20th, 2021 at the Larkin Mortuary-Riverton, 3688 W 12600 S Riverton, Utah 84065. The viewing will begin at 1pm, funeral services at 2pm. Interment at the Herriman Cemetery to follow at 3:30pm. Flowers may be sent to Larkin Mortuary-Riverton prior to the funeral.

This service can be viewed via Zoom meeting with the following link

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83023483534?pwd=SjFXREkwT2JYN0NkT1VYQnhnU083dz09