View source for David E. Sorensen

{{ref improve|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox Latter Day Saint biography
| name                       = David E. Sorensen
| birth_name                 = David Eugene Sorensen
| birth_date                 = {{Birth date|1933|06|29}}
| birth_place                = [[Aurora, Utah|Aurora]], [[Utah]], United States
| death_date                 = {{death date and age|2014|08|26|1933|6|29}}
| death_place                = [[San Juan Capistrano, California]], United States
| portals                    = LDS
| position_or_quorum1        = [[Second Quorum of the Seventy]]
| called_by1                 = [[Ezra Taft Benson]]
| start_date1                = {{start date|1992|06|06}}
| end_date1                  = {{end date|1995|04|01}}
| end_reason1                = Transferred to the [[First Quorum of the Seventy]]
| position_or_quorum2        = [[First Quorum of the Seventy]]
| called_by2                 = [[Gordon B. Hinckley]]
| start_date2                = {{start date|1995|04|01}}
| end_date2                  = {{end date|2005|10|01}}
| end_reason2                = Granted general authority [[emeritus]] status
| position_or_quorum3        = [[Presidency of the Seventy]]
| called_by3                 = [[Gordon B. Hinckley]]
| start_date3                = {{start date|1998|08|15}}
| end_date3                  = {{end date|2005|08|15}}
| end_reason3                = Honorably released
| position_or_quorum4        = [[Emeritus]] General Authority
| called_by4                 = [[Gordon B. Hinckley]]
| start_date4                = {{start date|2005|10|01}}
| end_date4                  = {{end date|2014|08|26}}
| end_reason4                = }}
'''David Eugene Sorensen''' (June 29, 1933 – August 26, 2014) was a [[general authority]] of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) from 1992 until his death. He served in the First and Second [[Quorum (Latter Day Saints)|Quorums]] of the [[Seventy (LDS Church)|Seventy]] and as a member of the [[Presidency of the Seventy]]. He was the executive director of the church's Temple Department during the temple building boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Sorensen was born in [[Aurora, Utah]]. He grew up working on the family ranch. As a young man he served as a [[Mormon missionary|missionary]] in the Central Atlantic States [[Mission (LDS Church)|Mission]] (centered on Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina, Washington DC and probably some adjacent parts of Virginia were then in the Eastern States Mission headquartered in New York City) from 1954-1956.<ref name = ensign>[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1992/09/news-of-the-church/elder-david-e-sorensen-of-the-seventy "Elder David E. Sorensen Of the Seventy,"] ''[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]]'', September 1992, p. 78.</ref> After his mission, he served for two years in the United States military. He married Verla Anderson in 1958 and they had seven children. He studied at [[Brigham Young University]], the [[University of Utah]] and [[Utah State University]] but went to work full time to overcome debt associated with the family ranch before receiving a degree.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140830161509/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865609776/Elder-David-E-Sorensen-emeritus-General-Authority-dies-at-home-in-California.html ''Church News'', Aug 29, 2014]</ref>

Sorensen spent his career as a business owner, operating a healthcare services company while living in California.. He previously served in the LDS Church as a [[Bishop (LDS Church)|bishop]], [[stake president]], and as [[Mission president|president]] of the [[Canada]] [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]] [[Mission (LDS Church)|Mission]].<ref name = ensign/> He also served as vice chair of the Nevada Community Bank in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sorensen was [[Calling (LDS Church)|called]] as a general authority and member of the [[Second Quorum of the Seventy]] in June 1992.<ref name = ensign/> He was transferred to the [[First Quorum of the Seventy]] in April 1995. Sorensen's assignments as a general authority included service as Executive Director of the church's [[Temple (LDS Church)|Temple]] Department.<ref>[https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2005-10-08/conference-highlights-27786 "Conference highlights"], ''[[Church News]]'', 8 October 2005. Retrieved 10 May 2014.</ref><ref>[https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2005-10-08/changes-made-in-presidency-of-the-seventy-27820 "Changes made in the Presidency of the Seventy"], ''[[Church News]]'', 8 October 2005. Retrieved 10 May 2014.</ref> He oversaw development of the new standardized temples announced by [[Gordon B. Hinckley]] in October 1997 and the associated construction program that saw the number of temples more than double from 1998 to 2000.

Sorensen also served as president of the church's [[North America]] West and [[Asia]] North [[Area (LDS Church)|areas]] as well as serving as a counselor in other area presidencies.<ref>[https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2005-06-11/new-temple-presidents-27240 "New temple presidents"], ''[[Church News]]'', 11 June 2005. Retrieved 10 May 2014.</ref> From 1998 to 2005, Sorensen was a member of the seven-man [[Presidency of the Seventy]].<ref>[https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1998-08-29/three-called-to-the-presidency-of-seventy-13920 "Three called to the Presidency of Seventy"], ''[[Church News]]'', 29 August 1998. Retrieved 10 May 2014.</ref><ref>[https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2005-06-11/changes-are-made-in-presidency-of-seventy-27258 "Changes are made in Presidency of Seventy"], ''[[Church News]]'', 11 June 2005. Retrieved 10 May 2014.</ref>

After being designated as an [[emeritus]] general authority in 2005, Sorensen served as [[Temple president|president]] of the church's [[San Diego California Temple]] from 2005 to 2008.<ref>[https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2005-06-11/new-temple-presidents-27240 "New temple presidents"], ''[[Church News]]'', 11 June 2005. Retrieved 10 May 2014.</ref>

Sorensen died at his home in [[San Juan Capistrano, California]].<ref>Tad Walsh, [https://web.archive.org/web/20140901091335/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865609814/Elder-David-E-Sorensen-former-executive-director-of-LDS-temple-department-dies-at-81.html "Elder David E. Sorensen, former executive director of LDS temple department, dies at 81"], ''[[Deseret News]]'', 2014-08-28.</ref><ref>[[Peggy Fletcher Stack]], [http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58353158-78/sorensen-lds-temple-temples.html.csp "Temple-building Mormon leader dies at 81"], ''[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]'', 2014-08-29.</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*''2008 Deseret Morning News Church Almanac'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Morning News, 2007) p. 89
*''2005 Deseret Morning News Church Almanac'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Morning News, 2004) p. 29

==External links==
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071008021300/http://gapages.com/sorende1.htm Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages: David E. Sorensen]}}

{{LDS70pres}}


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[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:American general authorities (LDS Church)]]
[[Category:American Mormon missionaries in the United States]]
[[Category:Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church)]]
[[Category:Members of the Second Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church)]]
[[Category:Mission presidents (LDS Church)]]
[[Category:American Mormon missionaries in Canada]]
[[Category:People from Sevier County, Utah]]
[[Category:Temple presidents and matrons (LDS Church)]]
[[Category:20th-century Mormon missionaries]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Seventy (LDS Church)]]
[[Category:Brigham Young University alumni]]
[[Category:University of Utah alumni]]
[[Category:Utah State University alumni]]