Sue Ellen Earl

Sue Ellen (Sorensen) Earl passed away peacefully on June 28, 2017 surrounded by her family.

A celebration will be held at 4 p.m. on July 23, at 20960 Scottsdale Drive. Everyone she touched is welcome.

Sue was born in Mason City, Iowa, on March 17, 1949 to Marion and Helen (Shreckengost) Sorensen and grew up in Clear Lake, with her two brothers, Steven and Scot.  She graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1967. She then went on to North Iowa Area Community College and graduated as an LPN.  She worked at Mercy Hospital, in Mason City, where she met her husband, Robert Earl. They married in February 1970 and had two children, Justin and Courtney.

By 1975 the west was calling. After a brief stop in Colorado, the family found home in Bend, Ore.  Sue was a constant presence at the elementary schools and an active member of the PTO. She was always mom first, and was the best there was.  In 1984, she opened her own small business in the Mountain View Mall.  Bare Elegance was in the mall for almost 20 years and Sue made many forever friends, from other business owners, to customers, to the mall walkers. Sue always had a smile.

Sue’s love for life included spending time with her kids and grandkids.  Her greatest joy was watching them grow and teaching them the tricks of life, which they will have with them always.  She also loved spending time with friends and family, at the lake, camping and enjoying the view from the patio on a typical Bend night.  She did Jazzercise every week for over 30 years where she made many more lifelong friends.   

Sue was preceded in death by her parents, Marion and Helen Sorensen.

She is survived by her children, Justin Earl and Courtney (Ron) Thomas; and her four beautiful grandchildren, Lucy and Cash Earl, and Trey and Ella Thomas; her brothers, Steven (Jennifer) Sorensen, and Scot (Dana) Sorensen; nephews, Zachary, Christopher and Andrew; and nieces, Elizabeth, Jennie and Jamie.

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in Sue’s name to: Doernbecher Children’s Hospital at OHSU: www.onwardOHSU.org, OHSU and Doernbecher Foundations, Mail Stop 45, PO Box 4000, Portland, OR 97208-9852.