Paul Robert Sorensen

Paul Robert Sorensen, father, husband, brother, architect, and friend, passed away on September 10, 2023, at the age of 65 in Seattle, Washington, after a short fight with the flu. In life, Paul taught a wide circle of friends and supporters to challenge assumptions, love without reserve, and laugh even when faced with adversity. In death, he will always remind us of the transformative power of community and friendship. He will be greatly missed.

Paul was born on February 7, 1958, in Racine, Wisconsin, the hometown of his parents, Joan (Halter) and Robert Sorensen. Although he claimed Wisconsin as his home state, Paul spent his early years in Northbrook, Illinois, and his formative years in the Cleveland suburb of South Euclid. He was a newspaper boy, a Cub fan, and a lifeguard. Trips back to the family farm in Wisconsin to spend time with his grandparents and cousins were a highlight of his youth.

In 1976 Paul moved south to attend Georgia Institute of Technology, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture as well as a charming but fleeting Southern lilt. Paul met his wife Marianne at Harvard University where he was working on a master's in design studies in the history and theory of urban form at the Graduate School of Design. Paul got his first job using both design degrees in Philadelphia at WRT where, as a young architect, he contributed to an award-winning master plan for New Jersey's Liberty State Park.

Paul and Marianne moved to Tokyo in 1989 with Paul's stay funded for two years by a Japanese Ministry of Education grant. As a research fellow at the University of Tokyo, Paul was free to pursue an eclectic study of urban design, philosophy, history, and science. He embraced the freedom to think deeply and widely, and he called this time his opportunity to become a Renaissance man. In 1991 Tokyo-based architectural and construction firm Azusa Sekkei hired Paul to bring a fresh perspective to conceptual designs.

Paul and Marianne moved back to the United States in 1993 for the birth of their son Matthew. They settled in Portland, Oregon, and in 1996 moved to Seattle for Paul to join The Portico Group. Their loving family was made complete with the birth of daughter Alena Marcelle in 1997.

His children were the center of his universe, and Paul devoted his love, time, humor, and creative intelligence to helping them go where their curiosity led them. He shared with them a passion for science, math, music, history, politics, environmental stewardship, and the natural world. Paul also bestowed his selfless love on Zoe, the family schnoodle. No dog ever experienced a greater devotion. Paul added running to his passions in his forties and, encouraged by his running friends, he became a marathoner and bicycle commuter.

An architect and project manager at The Portico Group for 19 years, Paul worked on public spaces dedicated to experiential learning. He was most proud of his contribution at Portico to the Kopje Lodge at Fresno Chaffee Zoo; the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum in Honolulu; Happy Hollow Park and Zoo in San Jose, California; and Corkscrew Swamp Audubon Sanctuary in Naples, Florida as well as master plans for the Portland Japanese Garden and Hakone Estate & Garden in Saratoga, California. While with SMH Architecture earlier in his career he played a key role in the design of the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute in Pendleton, Oregon.

At work, he was known for his quirky thinking, his quiet but firm resolve, his commitment to rigor, and his humor and mischievousness. He was an introvert who excelled at bringing people together, turning colleagues into friends, and mentoring others.

In July 2016 Paul was hit by a car in a downtown Seattle crosswalk and sustained a catastrophic traumatic brain injury. Drawing on his midwestern stubbornness and extreme good health, Paul defied a hopeless prognosis to gain back more function than even his family dreamed possible. His path home was beset with complications and setbacks, but an outpouring of support from family, friends, and both Paul's and Marianne's colleagues was instrumental in his survival and recovery. After eight months of hospitalizations at five different hospitals, including three transformative months of neuro rehab at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado, Paul met his family's goals of his walking, talking, and eating again.

Paul was able to move back into their newly accessible Seattle home, thanks to the heroic efforts of dear friends, neighbors, and volunteers. Once home, Paul continued to make impressive gains with the help of a devoted team of talented therapists, caregivers, and friends. He eventually was able to walk throughout Ballard, to frequent bookstores and cafes, and to expand his impressive watch and running shoe collection. He hiked in Discovery Park, ran much of the way around Green Lake, rode on the Burke Gilman Trail, walked around Paris, Florence and Venice, and played an impressive game of racquetball.

Still, his brain injury left Paul with significant cognitive and language challenges. Life was not easy and he was forced to put up with countless indignities and challenges. He nevertheless appreciated watching his children blossom as adults, getting to know his loving and incredibly helpful son-in-law, Sam D'Alessio, visiting with his father, sister and extended family, and meeting up with old and new friends.

Sadly, in 2020 Paul began a steady physical and cognitive decline. What was diagnosed as TBI-induced dementia was recently attributed to a rare form of hydrocephalus. His family and friends take comfort in knowing that however much his TBI took away, it also freed Paul to express his deeply felt love and innate kindness without reserve or filter. He brought joy to friends and strangers alike.

Paul is preceded in death by his parents and his sister Mary (Sorensen) Romansky. He is survived by wife Marianne Scholl, son Matthew Sorensen, daughter Alena Sorensen D'Alessio, son-in-law Samuel D'Alessio, and sister Anne Sorensen Shaver.

A memorial service will be held on November 4 at 2 p.m. in the PACCAR Pavilion at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. Please only attend if you are fully immunized with this fall's Covid and flu vaccines. The family welcomes donations to Craig Hospital to honor Paul's memory.