Luverne Dawn Sorensen (Weeks)

November 2, 1931 — February 22, 2015

Born Nov. 2, 1931 on Lopez Island, Luverne Dawn Sorensen (Weeks) died Feb. 22, 2015 and will return to Lopez to rest in perpetuity along side of her parents and her brother who preceded her in death.

Luverne was born to Lloyd and Wilma Weeks, and grew up on Lopez Island for most of her life.

The Weeks family was one of the first settlers on Lopez Island. They homesteaded on land around Fisherman’s Bay, some of the property was later Luverne’s childhood home and home to the family business (Lopez Garage) which her father Lloyd opened in 1929.

Luverne left Lopez Island to attend high school in Sedro Woolley, graduating in 1949 as her class valedictorian. She had college aspirations and enrolled in Western Washington University in Bellingham. There, she met her future husband Heine Sorensen and they married Nov. 28, 1952 in Ballard Lutheran Church in Seattle.

Determined to get her teaching credential, Luverne continued her quest for an education degree and graduated from the University of Washington in 1966.

Most notable of all, she did this while raising four sons; Ryk, Lyn, Kim and Tod. She taught for many years in both the Edmonds and the Everett School districts before retiring.

Luverne had an active social life with her family and her friends. She was a fabulous cook, elaborate hostess, a dedicated mother, and a pretty good bridge player.

She wasn’t afraid to try new things (as evidenced by her water skiing in Puget Sound around her Dad’s reef net fishing boats while he was fishing!) and traveled extensively in her retirement years.

She loved her childhood dog, “Tippy,” her children, her grandchildren, and her childhood home of Lopez. Her favorite food, which served to be a reminder of her home, was Dungeness crab. She very much wished she could have lived out her final years on Lopez.

She bravely faced declining health in her later years and died due to complications from some of these health challenges.

She is survived by her four sons, her niece, Denise, and six grandchildren Nicole, Scott, Evan, Jared, Stefan, and Colin. A memorial will be held at Lopez Cemetery at 1 p.m., Saturday, April 25.

— Family of Luverne Sorensen (Weeks)