Sylvia May Cropper Sorenson

Sylvia May Cropper Sorenson, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, December 2, 2024, in Bountiful, Utah. After sixty-three years married to her sweetheart and eternal companion, Paul Sorenson, Sylvia left this life to join him just twelve days after Paul passed.

Sylvia was born February 12, 1940, in Delta, Utah to Ladd R. Cropper and May Gardner Cropper. She loved her childhood growing up on the farm in Hinckley, Utah and learned to drive a tractor pulling the hay wagon as her cousins loaded the baled hay. She attended elementary school in Hinckley and graduated from Reno High School in Reno, Nevada, where her father served as Institute Director at the University of Nevada. Sylvia loved music and sang in a lady’s trio with the Sierra Singers, a men’s chorus directed by her father. She attended Brigham Young University, sang in the Women’s Chorus, and worked as a Music Department Secretary.

At BYU, Sylvia met her future husband, Gordon Paul Sorenson. They were married on February 3, 1961 in the Salt Lake Temple in a ceremony officiated by President Hugh B. Brown. Sylvia was the mother of five daughters: Jody Lynn Sidwell Sims (Pat), JoAnn Fisher (Boyd), Julie Cluff, JaNae Elizabeth Ravsten (Zane), and Jenifer Pauline Janes (Robert). After her children were raised, she finished her degree in Elementary Education, graduating summa cum laude from Weber State University.

Sylvia taught fourth grade at J.A. Taylor Elementary School in Centerville, Utah for eighteen years. During that time, she received many school, district, and state awards, including one of the first KSL Feature Teacher of the Year awards. Sylvia loved teaching and working with her students.

Sylvia was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout her life. She held many ward and stake positions, including teaching and serving in auxiliary presidencies. She served as her husband’s Home Teaching Companion for twenty-seven years. Her favorite Church calling was Primary Girls Activity Days Leader, teaching cooking, crocheting, and serving others. Sylvia loved stories and teachings from The Book of Mormon, which she and her husband studied daily for sixty-three years. Sylvia and her husband served a full-time CES mission in Hawaii and another mission in Salt Lake City over placement, coordination, and training of worldwide full-time Senior Welfare Service Missionaries.

Sylvia was known as a warm and friendly person throughout her life; she loved her family, her friends, and her students. Sylvia was a wonderful cook; her delicious homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, and brownies were treasured by her family, friends, and students who received them. While teaching, her brownies were a prize for students on the highest-scoring table each term. Commonly, Sylvia would run into former students who introduce her to their children or grandchildren, recalling school memories and the famous “brownies”.

Sylvia was preceded in death by her husband, Gordon Paul Sorenson, her parents, her daughter, Jody Lynn Sidwell Sims, her son-in-law, Michael Leland Sidwell and two great-grandchildren, Sage Emily Fisher and Gideon Lyon Fisher.

Funeral services will be at the Farmington South Stake Center, 695 South 200 East, Farmington, Utah, at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, 2024. A viewing before the services will be 11:30-12:30 p.m. and on the evening of Friday, December 6, 2024, 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Russon Brother’s Mortuary, 1941 North Main Street, Farmington, Utah. Interment will be at the Farmington City Cemetery following the funeral services.

The funeral service will be streamed live on the Russon Mortuary Live Facebook page and on this obituary page below, where it will appear 10-15 minutes before the start of the service.

In lieu of flowers, Sylvia suggests you consider donating books on her behalf to J.A. Taylor Elementary School or to your local elementary school.

Special thanks to all those at Creekside Senior Living who took such great care of our mom.