MaryAnne Soerensen Obituary

Mary Ann "Annie" Soerensen–spirited artist, educator, and mentor–passed away in Denver, Colorado on March 9, 2025 at the age of 76.

Annie was born on October 25, 1948 in Bradford, Pennsylvania to Alice "D.D." and Howard "Sorrie" Soerensen, the second of three children. She spent her early years in Farmington, NM, attending Farmington High School. Her family's love of the outdoors took her hiking, camping, and fishing, developing her awe and wonder at nature's bounty. She earned her undergraduate degree from Bethany College, a Swedish Lutheran liberal arts college in Lindsborg, KS. She went on to complete her master of arts degree in Printmaking at the University of Wisconsin Madison. After graduation, she studied French at the Sorbonne in Paris for a year.

She enjoyed a robust career in arts administration that spanned 40 years. She served as Gallery Director at Metropolitan State College (now University), in Denver in the late 70s. She was the Education Director and Gallery and Museum Director for the award-winning Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities in Arvada, CO, in the 80s. As Executive Director of The Chalice of Repose Project and its School of Music Thanatology at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, MT, in the mid-90s, she helped pioneer a rich program of prescriptive music that addressed the physical and spiritual needs of the dying and their families.

Returning to Colorado in 2003, she served as a consulting grant writer for the Colorado Springs and Falcon Unified School Districts, raising significant income for state-of-the-art curricular projects and students and families facing economic hardship. At the same time, she was also a constant and loving caregiver for her mother "D.D.," who suffered from arthritis in her waning years.

In 2014, she married her longtime soulmate, Catherine "Cathy" Ryan in an intimate California ceremony. The couple resided in southeast Denver with their cherished companion, Phoebe. Her life was also graced by her brothers Jon (and Mary Ann) Soerensen, Eric (deceased) and Debbie Soerensen, and her adored nieces and nephews–Bryan, Kevin, Heather, Cody, Erika, and Nolden, and their families.

Annie was intellectually curious, always eager to learn and grow through new ideas and experiences. Even in retirement, she kept very busy, spending time with family and friends, cooking, creating a beautiful and welcoming home and garden, traveling, birding, reading, journaling, writing poetry and haiku, enjoying theater and musical performances, and attending to Phoebe's every wish.

While she reflected a refined and elegant demeanor, she had a well-oiled sense of humor and was quick to laugh at herself. Others enjoyed her flights of whimsy and fun and her wicked moves at the poker table. In her final days, she recalled a favorite song that she wrote as a younger woman, "I Met Him at the Roller Derby."

"Annie was perhaps one of the most brilliantly creative people we have ever known, bringing joyful artistry, eloquent expression, and fresh perspective to everything she did: composing a watercolor, leading a committee meeting, developing a grant proposal, crafting a haiku, planning a picnic," her friends said. "We will remember how she challenged the status quo, experimented, and trusted her inner voice to forge her own authentic path–encouraging others to do the same. When you were with Annie, you always knew it would be an elevated, joyful experience, touched by her exuberant expressiveness, quick wit, and passion for beauty. Simply put, she 'awakened the senses and the heart.'"

"Mostly, we will remember her warmth, her infinite lovingness and gracious generosity, and her strength of character and vivid sense of purpose and justice," they said. We will remember her ability to create meaningful connections with, and celebrate the qualities of, everyone she met-from infants to seniors. We are better people for having been loved by her. We will miss her more than words can express, but we will carry her, and the gifts she has given us, with us always."

In Annie's memory, the family invites you to honor her passions with a contribution to an animal shelter, a cultural or fine arts organization, or a social justice nonprofit of your choice.