Obituaries
Joyce Violet Jensen Sorensen
1945 – 2020
Joyce Violet Jensen Sorensen of Lehi passed away peacefully at home on March 6, 2020, after a valiant battle with liver cancer. She was surrounded by her loving family on both sides of the veil. She was born December 29, 1945, in Salt Lake City the only daughter of Lester & Violet Eliza Napier Jensen. Joyce grew up in Sugar House and graduated from Highland High School in 1964. She graduated from PX business school.
Joyce met her husband and eternal companion Frank DeWayne Sorensen at a roller-skating rink. They were married in Cottonwood Heights on March 4, 1967. The marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 30, 1970.
They made their first home in Orem, then moved to Lehi in 1974 where they worked and raised their family. She loved living in Lehi and “Round-Up” was a favorite of hers. She spent many hours working on miniature floats, making costumes, and serving food at the Rodeo.
As a young woman, Joyce worked in grocery store bakeries where she learned to decorate cakes. She made many beautiful birthday and wedding cakes, including her children’s wedding cakes. She was the owner/operator of Joyce Sorensen Daycare for over 40 years and just retired in May 2019. She loved children and helped raise many throughout the years; each one held a special place in her heart.
Joyce was an active member of the Church and faithfully served in many capacities and callings. She loved to travel especially with her family; some of her favorites were Hawaii, Yellowstone, South Dakota, Tennessee, the Redwood Forest, and Coastal Highway through California & Oregon, Alaska, Church History Tour and most of all Disneyland and Disney World, especially when they were decorated for the holidays. She adored Mickey Mouse and anything Disney. She always brought home many souvenirs from her travels, something the grandkids especially enjoyed and always made sure you had a souvenir if you were traveling with her.
Joyce loved the outdoors; she spent many hours picking vegetables and fruit in her yard and would enjoy eating fruit straight off the bushes and trees. A cherished memory is her taking her saltshaker with her to the apple tree. She was always busy canning during harvest season and was always happy to share a bottle of jam. Joyce spent many joyful hours riding motorcycles and ATVs. She liked to camp and being in the mountains, including hunting for the perfect Christmas tree to chop down and take home. While camping she liked to sing around the campfire; play candy bar bingo, nighttime hide & seek & cow-pie baseball, and never walked away from a good water fight. She always had hot chocolate in her trailer especially on camping trips during the deer hunt and was always up for a good conversation with those close to her. Joyce loved holidays and made every one of them special but her favorites Christmas & Easter. She would spend hours shopping for and wrapping the perfect gifts. Her home was always decorated for the holidays and the best Easter egg hunts were hosted there every year.
Joyce loved to laugh. She was beautiful, strong, could be sassy and stubborn but was always fair, generous and, kind and would doing anything to make others happy. She faced her trials head-on and never stopped fighting.
Joyce enjoyed many things but her favorite thing to do was spending time with her family and spoiling her grandchildren, She had many parties, sleepovers at her home and a favorite of the kids was Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast. There was always good food and treats at Grandma’s house. She loved being a mother and grandmother and was dedicated to each equally and had a special relationship with each of them. She made sure each of them learned to swim because she never did. She was the best wife, mother & grandmother you could ask for.
She is survived by her husband and sweet-heart of 53 years, children Scott (Debra) Sorensen, Angela (Jacob) Smith, Cheriee (Jason) Brixey & 14 grandchildren: Kelton, Jaycee, Quinn, Emma, Cooper & Cody Sorensen; Courtni (Cayden) Hurst, DeJay, Jaxen & Kacey Smith; Callee, Ashlee, Hailee & Chasen Brixey; Brothers Lester Jensen & Jerry (Pat) Jensen, and many others that she loved and loved her.
She was preceded in death by her parents, father-in-law Frank Wesley Sorensen, mother-in-law Mary Bertha Bates, brothers Gene Jensen & Teddy Lynn Jensen, brother-in-law LeMond Sorensen, sisters-in-law Joan Newman, Mary Ellen Sorensen, Freda Larsen & Pauline Frank, nephews Corey Jensen & Mark Jensen.
Funeral Services will be held Saturday, March 14 at 12 p.m. in the Lehi 2nd Ward Chapel, 481 E 300 N, Lehi. A viewing will be held at 11 a.m. prior to the funeral and Friday, March 13, 6-8 p.m. at Wing Mortuary, 118 E Main Street, Lehi. Interment, Lehi City Cemetery. Online guest book at wingmortuary.com.
The family would like to extend a special thanks to The Huntsman Cancer Center for their excellent care.
