Larry Dean “The Sign Guy” Sorensen, age 86, passed away on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at the Good Samaritan Home in Estherville, Iowa.
Visitation will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Fenton, Iowa from 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Saturday, September 12, 2026.
Funeral Service will be held following the visitation at 10:30 a.m. with Pastor Mark Resner officiating.
At Rest will be held in the North St. John’s Cemetery, Depew, Iowa. Military Honors will be given by Ranney - Weisbrod, American Legion Post 627, Fenton, Iowa.
Larry was born on April 14th, 1940 in St. James, Minnesota as the youngest of nine children to Oscar Albert and Lula (Benson) Sorensen. Larry and his family moved to Fenton in 1946 to care for his maternal grandfather at 605 Ash Street, where he resided for the next 80 years. Upon moving to Fenton, he attended kindergarten at St. James, 1st-6th grade at Fenton Public School, 7th and 8th grade at Fenton Lutheran Parochial School, then Sentral High School until he graduated in 1958. Larry’s class was the first class to graduate in the newly constructed Sentral School gymnasium east of Fenton, but never attended class there. His class also selected the new consolidated school’s mascot, the Sentral Satellites!
After graduating high school, Larry worked as a poleman for a few years at the local telephone co-op. Then he worked at a grain elevator maintenance company for a couple of years. In 1963, Larry enlisted in the Army and served from May 22nd, 1963 through May 10th, 1965 when he was honorably discharged as a Specialist E4. Larry then attended school in Fort Lee Virginia from August 9th through November 20th, 1963 to become a “fueler” or “fuelist”, also known as a Petroleum Production Analyst, to dispense and test fuels for military use. Traveling by military ship across the Atlantic, Larry eventually made his way to Kaiserslautern, Germany, where he used his fuelist skills and worked with a scientist from the former Nazi party!
After Larry’s discharge from the Army, he earned his art certification from the Famous Artists Correspondence Course. This launched his extensive career painting signs and other artistic endeavors. Larry was known for painting many signs locally, but he also spent nearly a year traveling across the country painting signs all the way to the Pacific Ocean and back, and another year painting his way to Florida and back. Subsequently, Larry would receive special requests to paint new signs or touch-up old ones, so he would often travel back to some of those locations to do so.
Larry enjoyed many sports but was an avid football fan. He loved the Green Bay Packers and served as an exceptional football announcer for Sentral School. In the town of Fenton, he was a member of the St. John’s Lutheran Church and the Ranney Weisbrod Legion Post 627. Larry loved cheeseburgers, brownies, and ice cream. He also loved traveling or just driving around and gabbing with patrons at JW’s Vault in Lone Rock, and of course painting, most of all.
Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Oscar and Lula, and his siblings, Leroy, Lavinia “Vinnie”, Opal, Alice, Edith, Arthur, Marilyn Jean “Jeannie”, and Oscar.
He is survived by several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and great-great-nieces and nephews.
Henry-Olson Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.henryolsonfuneral.com.
