Steen Erik Ansgar Mortensen,MD

Dr. Steen Erik Ansgar Mortensen, MD, 82, of Wichita, Kansas, passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, on November 26 after bravely battling cancer for three years. Steen was born on February 21, 1942, to Ingrid Lily Sørensen & Ansgar Mortensen, during World War 2 in Copenhagen, Denmark. His parents were living in Sweden at the time, but Ingrid was permitted to give birth in what was then Nazi-occupied Denmark. Steen had a beloved older brother - René Ansgar Mortensen, who was 15 years his senior. After his birth, his family returned to “neutral” Sweden and lived there until WW2 ended in 1945, after which they moved back to Denmark. At the young age of six, Steen and René’s father Ansgar was tragically killed in an airplane crash that severely injured their mother, Ingrid as well. Steen subsequently went to Sorø Academy, a well-known Danish boarding school, founded in the 17th century - originally a 12th-century monastery, where he graduated in 1960. After Sorø Academy, Steen initially studied Engineering at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. In his 20s, after a catastrophic motorcycle accident, the inspiration of his mother Ingrid to become a physician influenced Steen to pursue a career in medicine. He began his studies at Copenhagen University Hospital and ultimately earned his medical doctorate from Odense University Hospital in Odense, Denmark. When Steen graduated in 1972, he belonged to the first graduating class from the now prestigious medical school. Steen met his wife Jette in 1969 while she was a nurse, and he was a medical student at Copenhagen University Hospital. They were married on September 9, 1971, in Odense, Denmark. In 1973, the couple immigrated to America to be near Steen’s older brother, where René and his wife Louise had a burgeoning family, in Los Angeles, California. Upon their privileged move across the globe, they were welcomed to the States by their new nephew and niece - Alex Mortensen (b. 1971) and Lena Mortensen (b. 1972). During their immigration process, Steen and Jette were fortunate to secure positions at Loma Linda Medical University near Redlands, California. Initially, Steen was required to do an additional medical internship due to international academic equivalencies being unknown to Americans at the time. It was at Loma Linda that he completed his medical residency and subsequent fellowship, which set in motion a 46-year career as a physician of internal medicine in Rheumatology. In California, Steen and Jette joined First Lutheran Church of Redlands in the 1970s and quickly became active within their congregation. Through gifts from God, they were blessed and became parents to their son Erik in 1979, their son Per in 1980, and their daughter Annika in 1984. The Mortensen’s later moved to Wichita, Kansas in early 1993 and joined Reformation Lutheran Church. They became US citizens in 1995. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Steen and Jette were immensely lucky to find virtual Sunday services through the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda, California, and became members in 2021. Throughout his life and career, Steen held senior positions in numerous fields and remained heavily involved in his Wichita community. Notable achievements include being Chief of Rheumatology for both Loma Linda Medical University in California and The Wichita Clinic (Ascension) in Kansas; and a Fellow at the American College of Rheumatology. He was previously president and long-time board member for the Arthritis Foundation in both Kansas and California and the Medical Society of Wichita. Additionally, he worked with the Kansas legislature and multiple areas of Wichita civic engagement over his 31 years of living in the state of Kansas. He retired as Chief of Rheumatology in 2018. He was an actively involved board member for the Wichita Symphony and Wichita Grand Opera; and a longstanding Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Wichita. Steen is survived by his beloved wife of 53 years - Jette Mortensen, and their three children: Erik Mortensen and Per Mortensen (Stephanie), of Kansas, Annika Mortensen of Oregon, and his grandson Desi Mortensen Morales. He is preceded in death by his mother Ingrid, father Ansgar, brother René, and sister-in-law Louise. He is also survived by niece Lena Mortensen (Matt) of Toronto, Canada, nephew Alex Mortensen (Johnna) of California, grandnephews Anders, Xander, and Kai; sister-in-law Bodil Adrover of Denmark; and cherished and loyal dog, Asta. The family will not be holding a funeral service at this time. A celebration of life will later be held at Steen and Jette’s church, the Danish Lutheran Church in California, in the summer of 2025. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Steen’s name to Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice of Wichita, Kansas, or the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda, California.