My second cousin Audrey Sorenson was a pilot. She was a member of the Cu Nim Gliding Club of Red Deer and Calgary, the RCFCA of Edmonton Flying Club, and several other flying organizations. She is believed to be the second woman in Canada to hold licenses as both a power pilot and a glider pilot. Her obituary says she was the first.
Audrey’s grandmother and my grandfather were brother and sister, her mother Julietta was my mother’s older cousin. Audrey and I come from a line of the family that originally settled in western New York, then moved west to southern Minnesota after the Civil War when land opened up for settlement. My branch of the family stayed in Minnesota, while Audrey’s emigrated to Red Deer, Alberta, Canada in 1912.
I don’t think our families were estranged, but I don’t remember anyone ever talking about a Canadian branch. Most of what I know comes from newspaper articles, obituaries, and local histories. The Red Deer Branch of the family was one I had never heard of until my interest in genealogy.
Audrey’s interest in flying began when she was young. During the 1930’s her father, Gordon Sorenson, owned and operated a bus service from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, to Red Deer and nearby Penhold Air Base. The Sorenson’s provided a home away from home for many of the cadets stationed there and stoked Audrey’s love of planes and flying. She continued to be involved in aviation for the rest of her life.
In 1956, she married aerobatics pilot Patrick Johnston. Sadly, he was fatally injured in 1972 when his plane failed to complete a spin during an air show. It was ironic because he was an air instructor and known for promoting safety. He was 39 years old.
Even after the accident, Audrey continued to be involved in aviation as a pilot and instructor and was active in flying related clubs and organizations. Later in her life, she began a second career as partner and manager of the Airport Cafe at the Red Deer Regional Airport.
I was glad to discover Audrey and add her to my list of ancestors with a fondness for thrill seeking – glider planes, fast racing cars and motorcycles. It’s a trait that seems to appear a lot in my mother’s family.
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