By Anna Michael
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MIDDLETOWN - He was believed to be the most-decorated World War II veteran from Middletown, but it was kindness that made Stanley Sorrell stand out.

"He was always a gentleman," said Gertrude Sorrell, Mr. Sorrell's wife of 62 years. "He cared a lot about people."

Mr. Sorrell, 85, died Sunday at the Willow Knoll Retirement Community. His wife said the former Middletown city commissioner had been battling Parkinson's disease since 1991.

During World War II, Mr. Sorrell earned 23 medals and citations, including three Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars and several presidential citations. He landed in Normandy on D-Day and fought his way through Europe, including the Battle of the Bulge.

Mr. Sorrell began his military career on March 11, 1941. Nine months later, on Dec. 8, he married Mrs. Sorrell in San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Sorrell remained in the military until 1953, leaving as a lieutenant.

In the late 1960s, Mr. Sorrell became commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3809. He also served as the state commander for the Disable American Veterans Chapter 131 since 1979.

In addition, Mr. Sorrell spent 12 years serving as a Middletown city commissioner.

"He knew how to negotiate and get things done," Mrs. Sorrell said.

He also owned Sorrell Real Estate and Auctioneering, and a grocery.

Mr. Sorrell was a father of three sons and one daughter. Mrs. Sorrell remembers her husband as a loving father who used his military experience to help raise their children.

"They were raised like the military," she said. "He was always there when they needed him."

Besides his wife, Mr. Sorrell is survived by three sons, R. Michael Sorrell of Middletown, Stephen Sorrell of Pensacola, Fla., and Charles Sorrell of Madison Township; a daughter, Debra Rose of Trenton; a sister, Lillian Hess of Miamisburg; a brother, Kenneth Sorrell of Trenton; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

The funeral service will be 10 a.m. Friday at Wilson-Schramm-Spaulding Funeral Home, 3805 Roosevelt Boulevard. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home. Memorials can be made to the Middletown Community Foundation, 36 Donham Plaza, Middletown, OH 45042.