Jean Sorensen

Beverly Jean Sorensen passed away peacefully on October 24, 2023.

Visitation and funeral service will be held on November 4, 2023, at Christ The King Lutheran Church in Mankato. Visitation from 9:00 – 11:00. Funeral service at 11:00, with luncheon to follow.  Burial will be at Minneopa Cemetery for the family.  

Memorials may be given to the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota.

Northview-North Mankato Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Jean was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on August 29^th, 1931, to Henry and Anna (Hill) Medchill. She grew up in Flaxton, North Dakota. After graduation from high school, she attended college at Minot State College.

Jean married Donald Sorensen on June 18^th, 1950. To this marriage, four children were born: Kathy (Mark) Collins of Turtle Lake, WI; David (Char) Sorensen of Eagleville, Pennsylvania; Jan (Ann) Sorensen of Moorhead, Minnesota; Jay (Sue) Sorensen of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

Don’s position as a teacher and superintendent took them to Balfour, Surrey and Minot, North Dakota. The family moved to Mankato, when Don accepted a position with Mankato State College at Wilson Campus School.

Jean continued her education at Mankato State College, working on her degree in Elementary Education. She was active in her church, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, in choir, Sunday school teaching and as a deacon. She was a member of Chapter U of PEO, Delta Kappa Gamma, Mankato State faculty wives, and later choir and circle at Christ the King Lutheran Church.

In 1966, the family moved to Marangu, Tanzania, East Africa, where Don taught at a teacher-training college and Jean taught in an English language primary school. They lived on Mt. Kilimanjaro and, in 1967, climbed it to the top. Don, Jean, and Jay returned to Tanzania in 1976 for one year when Don worked with Operation Bootstrap Africa.

When they returned to Mankato, Jean finished her degree and then taught at Kennedy Elementary School for her entire career, as a 4^th. and 1^st. grade teacher. She was later honored with the Mankato Teacher of the Year award.

Jean was chosen as a Keisai Koho Fellow for a 16-day tour of Japan in 1984 and, later with her friend Toshiko Motoyama, developed a home-stay program, It’s a Small World, which brought students from Japan to Mankato for a stay with local families. Jean visited Japan 14 times and, for 11 years, took students and adults to Japan to share the Japanese culture.

Jean is survived by her four children, grandchildren: Erik (Sue) Collins; Ann (Jared) Kooiker; Kate (Bobak) Razavi; Jill (Tim) Wood; Ryan; Kirsten; Reed (Hillary); Michael (Lauren); Carrie (Tom) Seifert; and Jared; and nine great-grandchildren; Ethan, Anna; Violet; AJ; Mona; Rafa; Tobin; Patrick and Wren, as well as one brother, Jim (Isabelle) Medchill of Tacoma, Washington. She was preceded in death by her father, mother, and her husband.

The live stream link below is a complimentary service provided by

Mankato Area Funeral Homes.

Unforeseen technical, internet, facility, and/or acoustical circumstances may produce a diminished end product. Please note, if the live stream does not appear, we are attempting to record and publish the service for later viewing.