Harris Sonnenberg, 87, of Fayetteville, passed away Tuesday, February 14, 2023 in Fayetteville. He was born April 1, 1935 in Titonka, IA to George and Lina Franzen Sonnenberg.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister Betty Sonnenberg.
Harris was a hospital chaplain in Minneapolis, MN. He was instrumental in setting-up a bioethics committee at Unity Hospital and a parish nursing program. Harris shared the gift of his voice over his many years. He was an avid Minnesota Vikings fan.
He is survived by his wife, Carol Sonnenberg of the home, to whom he was married for 66 years; a son, Daniel Sonnenberg of Moline, IL; a daughter, Julie Girard and husband Kent of Hinkley, MN; a daughter Jane Coffin and husband Robert of Fayetteville; 8 grandchildren; and 4 great-grandchildren.
There will be a private family memorial service.
Cremation arrangements by Beard’s Funeral Chapel.
Carol, Jane, and family, I am so sorry to hear of Pastor Harris’ passing. Please accept my deepest condolences. It was an honor and a joy to be in church with him and to hear the blessing of his preaching from time to time and his beautiful singing voice. May God’s peace be with you all.
Harris was such a good man, with a big heart. Always a twinkle in his eye and a smile for Melissa and I. He was so good to my dad while they both were at Butterfield. All three of us loved to hear him sing and have a conversation. Carol and Jane, will be thinking of ya’ll and keeping you in my prayers. Doug Jones
The Lord put Harris on my mind this morning as I was thinking about friends from Unity Hospital. I decided to google Harris’ name and up popped his obituary. Talk about devine. I treasure the years we spent together at Unity. I was on the BioMedical Ethics committee for many years. He comforted family members in the ICCU and throughout the hospital. I even planned his retirement party from Unity.
My sincere sympathy to you Carol and all your family. May you feel the comfort of our Lord and
Savior. Treasure the memories. Sending my love.
So happy to read the impact dad made on people’s lives. I shared this with my mom today. Whatever made you google him, I am sure it was a shock. But he had a wonderful 87 years. We will miss him so.
I was so sorry to hear of Chaplain Sonnenberg’s passing away. I am a nurse who worked at Unity and we all just loved him. Such a great personality, so caring and giving, the nurses looked forward to his rounds to the ICU/CCU every day, especially after he had been gone to a Chaplain conference and returned with his new jokes. My condolences to your family.
Prayers for God’s Peace and Comfort for Carol and the family. Harris was a very special man of God and a great friend.
Harris had an admirable character and a wonderful way of witnessing his convictions while maintaining a delightful twinkle in his eyes. Having met him later in his life, I always looked forward to our visits at BTV, and wished that we’d met earlier.
Dear Carol, Jane, and all of the Sonnenberg family, you have my deepest sympathies. I adored Harris and I know he will be missed greatly by many of us. He had such a beautiful voice – as a singer and a human. Sending you all peace and love.
Harris will be long remembered for the warm heartfelt friendships he so generously extended to many of us in the Butterfield Trail Village community. We miss him but are grateful for our time shared. His remarkable deep voice is prayer will linger in cherished memory. Our sincere condolences. May peace find Carol and his dear extended family.
Carol….A card with thoughts and memorial will follow….Our hearts and prayers are with you.
Carol— Hard to write this. He was my friend. Ran and and I loved him. Blessings and prayers to you and family.
Sorry to hear of his passing. I remember his great singing voice. Now he is singing in heaven’s choir. Rest in peace.
The brief time we knew Harris at trinity Lindstrom mn was a joy as was listening to his beautiful voice. He was a great guy and could be a lot of fun Our condolences to carol and family
Word of Pastor Harris Sonnenberg’s passing reached the folk of Immanuel Lutheran over the weekend.
I’ve heard many great things about Harris. He was much loved by the people of Immanuel in Titonka, Iowa.
They were sad to learn of his passing. Please let us know if we can be of any help in the future
I will share this with my mother when I visit this evening. Titonka, IA will always hold such a special place in our hearts. It is impossible to separate who he was as a person from his up bringing and ties to rural Iowa and Titonka.
Peace to all.
Carol, I enjoyed knowing both of you. He was a lovely person and he and Dean are singing their hearts out in Heaven! My love to you. Harriet Carlson