Mary Ellen Sorenson of Green Bay, Wisconsin passed away peacefully on the morning of Monday, June 1, 2026. She was surrounded by family at Oak Park Place assisted living in the days leading to her passing.

Mary Ellen was born January 9, 1942, in Elkhorn, Wisconsin to Forrest and Leona (Gregoire) Pett. She graduated from Whitewater High School in 1960, attended UW-Whitewater, and graduated from UW-La Crosse in 1965. After graduation, Mary Ellen was hired to teach physical education at Oshkosh High School and later in Sevastopol. She spent her last twenty-one years dedicated to the Ashwaubenon School District serving many roles before retiring in 2004.

On April 5, 1969, Mary Ellen was united in marriage to James Sorenson. The two were inseparable over the next 57 years as they raised their beautiful family. Mary Ellen helped with the grandchildren by spending extended amounts of time in Tucson, Arizona and Portland, Maine when her grandchildren were babies.

Mary Ellen did many things to give back to her community. She served as Cub Scout Den Mother/Webelos Den Leader and volunteer youth sports coach for all three of her sons. If Mary Ellen was in the stands for one of your games, she was the one to go to for everyone's stats. She was an active member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church since 1980, and a member of the church choir for over 40 years. She also volunteered at Bellin and Aurora Hospitals for over 25 years. She was most proud of knitting thousands of hats for newborn babies over several decades.

Mary Ellen was preceded in death by her parents, Forrest and Leona Pett. She is survived by her loving husband, James; her sons, Eric (Jennifer), Steve (Dawn), and Todd. Her four grandchildren Ava (19), Griffin (17), Thomas (16), and Greta (15) will miss her dearly. Mary Ellen's sister-in-law, Sandra (Joe) Weimer; brother-in-law, Bill (Mary) Sorenson; extended family, and many friends.

Friends and family will gather at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 341 Wilson Avenue, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Viewing begins at 3:00 pm on Sunday, June 7; service to follow at 4:00 p.m. Burial will be at Woodlawn Cemetery on Monday, June 8 at 9:30 a.m. To send online condolences, please go to www.BlaneyFuneralHome.com.

The family of Mary Ellen would like to thank the care team of Moments Hospice and Oak Park Place for their compassion and communication over the past two months.