Dec. 26, 1918 – April 2, 2008
Edith Pearl Sorgen, 89, of Sweet Home died April 2, 2008. She was born Dec. 26, 1918 in Lawton, Kan., to George and Mary Elizabeth (Marker) Spencer.
She lived in Sweet Home in 1947 and then moved to Eugene in 1951. She moved from Eugene to Bend in 1968 and was there until moving back to Sweet Home in 1986.
Mrs. Sorgen worked for a time as head cook at St. Charles Hospital in Bend, and a cook at a University of Oregon fraternity house. In the 1970s she was a crew boss for a construction project that her husband was also working on. She single-handedly built two pre-fabricated homes in a shop her husband customized for her.
She loved to hunt, fish and cook for her family on those outings. She volunteered at the Sweet Home Senior Center as a cook for many years. When she wasn’t sewing or cooking she was winning at cards.
Mrs. Sorgen began hand stitching quilts in 1984. By 1998 she had completed 120 full-sized quilts, all handmade. She made 161 quilts. She displayed and sold these quilts at the Sisters outdoor Quilt show. She was the featured quilter for two years and some of her quilts have been purchased by people from other countries. She was also featured in a magazine.
Each year she and her sister Dorothy canned fruits and vegetables, including green beans, corn and peaches. They also pressure-canned jars of boned turkey, mostly for gifts.
Mrs. Sorgen is survived by her sister, Dorothy Smith of Sweet Home; niece Janie Hartman of Lebanon; nephews Jim Smith of Brownsville and John Smith of Sweet Home and numerous other nieces and nephews living away from the area; five grandchildren, and a number of great- and great-great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, John Marshall in 1954; her second husband, Paul Sorgen in 1986; one son, Wayne in 1985; a grandson, Jon Marshall in 2004; and eight brothers and sisters.
A graveside service was held April 7 at Rest Haven Cemetery in Eugene.
Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.