Shirley  Ann Sorg, 87

Shirley Ann Sorg, age 87, of rural Austin, Minnesota, passed away Thursday, April 13, 2023 at the Memory Care Unit at The Cedars of Austin.

Shirley was born on April 9, 1936 in Austin, Minnesota to Ruth (Hubbard) and Alfred (Ted) Hertle. She attended Austin High School and graduated in 1954. Shirley grew up on farms around the Austin/Brownsdale/Waltham area and this is where she found her love for farming.

Shirley met the love of her life, Lowell Sorg, while riding in the truck with her brother, Arnie, to pick up milk at the Sorg farm. Shirley and Lowell were married August 28, 1954. She loved helping Lowell with the farm – driving tractors, grain trucks, she was the parts runner, and her organization for getting the job done was truly her strength (yes, she was the boss!). “Eagle Eye” was a fitting description for her CB radio name, as she always knew what was going on. Together they raised two children, Kevin and Rhonda. Shirley loved where she lived and created many lifelong friends with her neighbors. She was a strong woman with a great smile, she loved to laugh and have a lot of fun when she wasn’t working on the farm. Lowell and Shirley loved to work side by side with each other and she always made sure there was a mid-morning break with some kind of pastry or baked goods. When we heard her whistle, we knew it was break-time.

Their son, Kevin, found the love of farming and their daughter, Rhonda, found the love of horses which led them to many horse shows where Shirley found many more friends at the shows. She was involved with the Mower County Pork Producers. She also worked a part-time job at the Vo-Tech Farm Management helping with farm management books where she made additional lifelong friendships.

Many fishing trips up north with family and neighbor friends along with the love of playing cards was one of her favorite things to do. Shirley’s outgoing personality was one of her greatest qualities. Her laughter was contagious, oh, she loved to laugh! The love of her life was her family. Her grandchildren, Krystal and Mike, great grandchildren, Jayden, Jaxon and Braden were her pride and joy and she was full of love for them all.

Unfortunately, dementia set in and changed her life for the past eight years. A special thank you to the Memory Care Unit at The Cedars of Austin and Mayo Hospice for the care they gave her over the past two plus years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Alfred and Ruth Hertle and her brother, Arnie Hertle.

Shirley is survived by her husband, Lowell Sorg; son, Kevin (Diane) Sorg of Rose Creek; daughter, Rhonda Sorg (Mike Bartosh) of Prescott, Wisconsin; two grandchildren, Krystal (Jeremy) Pedersen of Lake Havasu, Arizona and Michael (Brittany) Sorg of Mantorville; three very luck great grandchildren, Jayden and Jaxon Pedersen and Braden Sorg.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, April 29th at First United Methodist Church with the Reverend Donna Dempewolf officiating. Visitation will be at the church one hour prior to the service on Saturday. Burial will be at Oakwood Cemetery at a later date.  Clasen-Jordan Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.