Joan A. Rasmussen

JOAN RASMUSSEN July 24, 1931 ˜ August 16, 2021 Joan Rasmussen was born in Montesano, WA, July 24, 1931, and passed away August 16, 2021, at Glenwood Place Assisted Living Center in Vancouver WA. Joan is survived by her children, Ron Jr. and Kathy Fosjord; a loving son-in-law, John Fosjord; her sisters, Betty Barkley and Judy Brown; her brother, Patrick Althuisius; her granddaughters, Danielle and Nicole; her great-granddaughter, Madison; and numerous nieces and nephews. After graduating from Vancouver High School in 1949, Joan served in the U. S. Air Force during the early 1950s, where she met Ron Sr. They married on April 17, 1954, at Chanute AFB, IL. They travelled to many places including Japan, Alabama, California, and Turkey. Living in Ankara, Turkey, produced lifelong friendships, including Jim and Christina Riordan, and Ingelore Love, who all reside in Vancouver today. While in Ankara, Joan persuaded Ron Sr. to join her on a tour of Moscow, Kiev and Leningrad, with the Riordans. After the military, Joan, Ron Sr. and their children moved to Vancouver, built a house, and began cultivating friends and gardening. Joan was elected vice chair of the Clark County Republican Party in the early 1980s, and was a poll worker on election days at Walnut Grove Elementary School. Joan and Ron Sr. were avid fans on the Seattle Seahawks. They first visited Lake Crescent Lodge in Olympic National Park, WA, in 1979. Throughout subsequent years, the Rasmussen extended family enjoyed an annual retreat there. Ever the gracious hostess, Joan produced fine feasts for Christmas, Superbowls and the like. Unbeknownst to many, Joan enjoyed reading all of Tom Clancy's novels. They endowed a nursing scholarship at Clark College. They attended Vancouver First United Methodist Church for many years, They often enjoyed many sunny outings to Battle Ground Lake State Park and Yale Lake Park. An outdoor graveside memorial service will be conducted on Thursday, August 26, 2021, at noon, at Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Vancouver. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Clark College Foundation for the nursing program. Please share a memory @ www.columbian.com/obits To plant trees in memory, please visit our Sympathy Store.

Joan A. Rasmussen

July 24, 1931 - August 16, 2021