Thelma Leimomi Kanahele Sistrunk Sorensen's Obituary
Thelma Leimomi Sorensen passed away on May 10 at the age of 101. She was born on April 19, 1922 in Lahaina, Maui as the third child of Clinton and Mary Kanahele. Her mother passed away when she was five years old leaving seven children. Years later her dad remarried and seven more children were added to the family. Thelma loved and tended to all her siblings.
After graduation from Roosevelt High School in Honolulu, she studied at Honolulu Business College. She became a Civil Service employee for the federal government for 21 years. At the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, she was employed at Hickam Air Force Base. In later years, she was employed at the headquarters of the US Army Pacific at Fort Shafter as a secretary/steno.
Thelma was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and at the age of eight was baptized in the Pacific Ocean by her father. She served in many church positions as in Primary as a teacher and president, in Relief Society as a teacher and president and the Young Women’s Stake President. She served for 11 years in the Seattle Washington Temple and in the Portland Oregon Temple as organist, bridal attendant and ordnance worker. She and her late husband, Carl, served as missionaries in the Charlotte North Carolina mission.
She loved gardening, crocheting, reading, sewing, doing puzzles and playing the piano and organ. She adjusted well to the change of seasons after moving from Hawaii to Ellensburg, Washington in 1977. After the Portland Oregon Temple was built and dedicated, she and her husband moved to Tigard, Oregon to serve in the temple there. She moved to Salt Lake City in July 2001 upon the hospitalization of her husband in Utah.
She was preceded in death by her husband Carl, son Jeffrey Sistrunk, her grandson Michael, her parents and ten of her siblings. She is survived by her children Judith Maxfield (Richard) of Salt Lake City, Joni Wohllaib (Eric) of Green Valley, Arizona, and Jay Sistrunk (Kathleen) of Lexington, North Carolina; step children Sandy Sorensen, Moani Revoir of Orem, Utah and Lynda Fitzgerald of St. George, Utah; 12 grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren, 6 great great grandchildren, many bonus family members as well as many nieces and nephews. She is survived by her siblings Kauana Pukahi, Ashley Kanahele and Henry Kanahele all of Hawaii.
Services will be held Saturday, June 17, 2023 at the Millcreek Stake Center, 3103 Craig Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah. Viewing will be held 9:30-10:45 and service at ll:00. Internment at Wasatch Lawn.
Topic: East Mill Creek 4th Ward Thelma Sorensen Funeral
Time: Jun 17, 2023 11:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
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