Al R. Sorensen (1936-2025)

Al R. Sorensen
1936-2025

Al Sorensen spent a lifetime in the water business. His expertise helped shape such major organizations as the Sweetwater Authority, the Chula Vista Yacht Club, the Coronado Maritime Foundation, and the California American Water Authority. He was also very involved in the Coronado Cays Homeowners’ Association.

His passion was fishing. He was introduced to fishing by his late father, who fished the waters of Denmark in his early life. Al caught his first fish as a young child. Over his lifetime Al fished everywhere from Alaska to Costa Rica, from Key West to Hawaii, and in Monterey Bay and Minnesota. He perpetuated his love of fishing by introducing it to many youth from throughout the South Bay.

Al died Sept. 28, 2025, at the age of 89, from squamous cell carcinoma – a battle he had fought bravely since November of last year.

Alfred Raymond Sorensen was born on June 28, 1936, in Salinas, CA. He was the only child born to Alfred Ehrhardt Sorensen and Ida May Farrell. His father, sponsored by his brother in the States, came to America from Denmark in the late 1920s aboard the Queen Mary.

Al’s father was a painter. He painted buggies and wagons in Denmark, and then became a house painter. He actually worked on John Steinbeck’s home.

Al graduated from Salinas High School in 1954, where he played football and was president of the ski club. He was also on the golf team. He then received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. He served in the National Guard for five years (1957-1962) and was trained in marksmanship.

He discovered a love for reading late in life. He loved presidential biographies. His favorite authors were Fareed Zakaria, Jon Meacham and Bob Woodward. At the time of his death, Al had just finished reading “Mark Twain,” by Ron Chernow. Al remained a Chargers’ fan until the end, no matter where they played.

Al met Donna Jenkins in 1987. She had been a small business owner in Chula Vista since 1970 and it was love at first sight. Theirs was a special relationship that lasted 37 years and overlapped into every aspect of their lives, both personal and professional.

Al was devoted to his two sons, Lance and Blake. He had no brothers and sisters, but when he married Donna, he inherited her three brothers, three sisters, and 17 nieces and nephews. He was overwhelmed by their love, and embraced the whole concept of family – people who remained close, trusted one another, and could (and would) share anything with each other in that tight family circle.

Al was a founding member of Chula Vista Yacht Club. He became their second Commodore in 1990. His wife Donna became Commodore at CVYC in 1997. They had both been members in the San Diego Association of Yacht Clubs, the Blue Gavel and other waterfront organizations, including the Coronado Maritime Foundation, where both Al and Donna served on the board of directors, working to support junior sailing programs and the Lipton Cup. They were also supportive of the Tallship Society (and the tallship Californian).Al was a director from the Kingston Village Homeowners Association for two years, at the Coronado Cays, where they lived. He was Chairman of the Docks & Channels Committee, and during that time the association won a very important court ruling against the City of Coronado regarding whose responsibility it was to maintain the Cays’ channels and seawalls.

Of note, the waters surrounding the Coronado Cays are owned by the Port of San Diego, the City of Coronado, and the Cays Homeowners Association. Needless to say, Al Sorensen played a major role in how the Coronado Cays looks and operates today.The Sorensens have lived in the Coronado Cays for nearly 33 years, where Al kept his 42-foot Grand Banks, Mariah, docked at his home, in Kingston Village. Their wedding was the first official function of the then-newly built Coronado Cays Yacht Club.

His legacy is that he loved people and was genuinely loving and kind.

Eight years ago, Al donated his beloved Mariah to Father Joe’s, a San Diego-based non-profit working to prevent and end homelessness.

The son of an immigrant house painter from Denmark, Al’s descendants lived and worked on the water. Building off of ancient Viking traditions, the people of Denmark regard the sea as a source of food, inspiration and recreation. It was, and is, a major part of their lives and national identity. So, it was no surprise that this advocate for clean water spent his entire life boating, fishing, and living on the water.

Al instilled in his two sons a love for the water. Today, they each live on the water — Lance, on the ocean in the San Francisco Bay area, and Blake, on the Watauga River in Boone, North Carolina.

After working in the cities of Fremont and Monterey as an engineer, designing sub-divisions and housing developments, Al joined the California-American Water Company in Monterey (1968).

Al’s reputation as someone who could get things done, work with a variety of personalities, and overcome obstacles in the process did not go unnoticed. Once, on a fortuitous airplane flight, he met a gentleman from the American Water Works who, after getting to know Al, convinced him to join the company, eventually becoming Division Director (Risk and Materials Manager) of the Pacific Division of the American Water Company. In that capacity, he was involved with water companies operated by American Water Works in 32 states.      

In 1977, National City’s Mayor Kile Morgan, then Chairman of Sweetwater Authority, requested that Al be hired as Operations Manager when the public took over the investor-owned water company. They inherited a water system that was badly in need of a complete makeover. In that first year, Sweetwater was in a constant battle to keep up with more than 200 water leaks.

During this time, Al wrote the employee manual, organized the various departments and hired 55 of the original Cal-Am employees to help with the transition. He spent 25 years under contract with the Sweetwater Authority Board of Directors.

Al retired as General Manager from the Sweetwater Authority on Jan 1, 2003. This marked the culmination of 35 years of leadership positions in the water utility profession that dated back to the completion of his Bachelor of Science in Engineering Degree.The Chula Vista Yacht Club was founded in 1889, but disbanded in the Roaring Twenties when flooding and silt left South San Diego Bay too shallow for sailing.

Al, along with a handful of charter members, re-established the Chula Vista Yacht Club (CVYC) in 1987, and in 1990 he proudly served as the CVYC Commodore. He supported the first CVYC Junior Program, the Golden Run Regatta for seniors, and the Children’s Fishing Tournament for the Boys and Girls Club of Chula Vista. He also participated in the Silver Gate Yacht Club Wheelchair Regatta for several years.

Kim Tolles is former HOA Board President and current Grande Caribe Task Force Chair at the Coronado Cays. She knew Al for nearly 15 years, and remembers him as one of those special people you just can’t get enough of, and someone who brought order to chaos no matter what the situation.

“Al was very active in fighting placement of a hotel at the Cays, since 2009,” said Tolles. “He was a key player in this and many other projects. Al understood local politics, and was definitely a player in and around the South Bay area concerning all environmental issues. He was heavily involved in the Grande Caribe Task Force and worked really well with our elected officials and local bureaucracies,” said Tolles.

“To be successful in this industry, you have to know how they work, where the pressure points are, and who the players are,” said Tolles. “Al was very good at that. He was passionate about preserving the natural environment in South Bay, and he worked well with other people. Al was a constant presence. He was determined and devoted to whatever it was he worked towards. I valued him for his consistency and perseverance. He made things happen (stopping the hotel and preserving South Grand Caribe and as much of North Grand Caribe as possible). We miss him every day.”

Sitting on the dining table of the family home is a special book created by Al’s former employees. They loved him dearly, and the book is filled with their love and admiration, humorous quips and memories, and photos they gave to him.

One of the things that runs constant through the book is Al’s humor. Numerous one-liners are spaced throughout the book that were things his co-workers often heard from him. Some of them are:

“Can I go to the little boys’ room first?”
“I don’t see a yellow sticky. When do you need this?”
“What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?”
“What’s $2,000 in a 40 million-dollar budget?”
“Follow it to its most logical conclusion.”

Al is survived by his wife Donna of Coronado, and two sons from a prior marriage — Lance Sorensen (Mindy Qiu) of San Mateo, CA, and Blake Sorensen (Jonell) of Boone, NC. He is also survived by his granddaughter Jessica Grimes (Noah) and great-granddaughter Harmony of Hollister, CA.

Al leaves behind his “grandson by choice,” Paul Qiu, whom he was very proud of and loved dearly. Al is also survived by his sister-in-law, Carolyn Walker, and the many nieces and nephews on Donna’s side of the family, who all referred to him lovingly as “Uncle Al.”

“The family wishes to give special thanks to Doctors Oen, Redfern and Fossum, Sharp Hospice and Cornerstone Home Care.”

A Celebration of Life will take place at the Coronado Cays Yacht Club, Sunday, November 16 at 2:30 p.m. Reservations not necessary but appreciated.          

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made, “In Memory of Al Sorensen,” to the San Diego Anglers’ Foundation Junior Program (sandiegoanglersfoundation.org); or FriendsOfRollo, a foundation that teaches juniors to fish (captainrollos.org/donate).