Linda and Eric Sorenson

How in the world did Linda and Eric Sorenson meet?  And how did they ever wind up in Lynchburg, Virginia? Their story illustrates the twists and turns of fate, as well as the good fortune of happenstance.  To further complicate their story, they are undoubtedly one of the few couples to have had not one, but two blind dates.

Linda’s mother was born in Pawnee, Oklahoma, and Eric’s mother in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Linda grew up in Ponca City, Oklahoma, and upon her graduation from high school in 1957, attended Bradford Junior College in Haverhill, Massachusetts.  After completing her freshman year, she transferred to the University of Oklahoma (OU).

Eric was born in Wisconsin and at age seven he and his family moved to Oklahoma City, where he graduated from high school in 1957.  He enrolled at Rice Institute in Houston for his freshman year in college, before he transferred to the University of Oklahoma for his remaining college years.

When Eric and Linda were high school sophomores, Linda visited friends in Oklahoma City and while there they had their first blind date.  Both had a nice time, but afterwards neither really gave the date, or each other, much thought. As luck, or happenstance, would have it, a few years later with both entering OU as sophomores they were fixed up with yet another blind date.  This time the relationship prospered.  They married in 1961, after Linda graduated from OU and after Eric’s first year in medical school. While he continued his studies Linda taught high school English.

Eric completed medical school in 1964 and after much deliberation between staying in Oklahoma City for his post graduate education or venturing out to new horizons Eric and Linda chose what they felt would be an adventure and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. They lived there for six years while Eric completed his required internship, as well as urology training.

Upon completion of his residency, Eric fulfilled a two-year commitment with the United States Army.  He spent his first year at the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Viet Nam and his second year in California at Fort Ord.  During this time Linda, with their two young sons, Eric, age four, and Robert, age two, first moved back to Oklahoma and then joined Eric at Pebble Beach, California. 

With Eric’s discharge from the Army the Sorenson’s had to decide where Eric would establish a practice, where they would live for the rest of their lives—East Coast, West Coast, or places in between.  They decided on the East Coast and Virginia and moved to Lynchburg in 1972 where Eric practiced urology until his retirement in 2004.  Linda raised their three children as a stay-at-home mom. 

Eric and Linda are members of St. John’s Episcopal Church.  They love to play bridge, even when they are each other’s partner!  Their two sons live in Lynchburg and between them have five children.  Their daughter, Amy, moves a lot as she is married to an officer in the U. S. Navy.  She has two children giving the Sorenson’s seven grandchildren.