Richard "Dick" Emmons Rasmussen

May 02, 2016

Service Details

Richard (Dick) Emmons Rasmussen, aged 93, passed away Monday, May 2, 2016 after a very brief illness. Dick died in Des Moines, Iowa, where he had been living to be near his daughter, Carole Rasmussen Rodemyer. He is survived by Carole (Mike) as well as two sons, David (Kathy) and Thomas (Sally); and by eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. For 65 years he was married to Alyce Smith Rasmussen who preceded him in death. He is also survived by a sister, Ruth Liebermann (Jerre) and a brother, Robert.

Dick was born March 15, 1923, in Forest City, Iowa, to Anton Ensign Rasmussen and Clara Emmons Rasmussen. He graduated from high school in Forest City and then spent a summer working on the construction of the new Trans Alaska Highway. Following that, he attended the University of Iowa for two years before entering World War II as an Army Air Force bomber pilot, completing 50 missions and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross for valor under combat conditions. After his service he returned to the University of Iowa where he finished his degree in Commerce.

While in Iowa City, he met his eventual wife Alyce when a local minister invited them both to Thanksgiving dinner. They married August 31, 1947, in her hometown of Nashua, Iowa, at the Little Brown Church in the Vale.

Dick then started his career by working as Treasurer for the Southern Lumber Company in Davenport, Iowa. After ten years, he became a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch at its Davenport office, where he continued until his retirement in 1988. Alyce retired then also from teaching elementary school and together they traveled the country in their motor home, visiting 49 states and all Canadian provinces. They were also avid square dancers and round dancers while spending the winters in Arizona. He also enjoyed listening to music and following sports.

Dick will be remembered for his ability to exude and impart confidence and to bring smiles to people’s faces; he was a charmer. He survived tuberculosis, which he acquired in Italy during World War II, and he credited his survival to Alyce’s visiting him at Oakdale Sanitarium every day. He told his war stories, such as landing on the grass between two occupied runways with only half his engines working and the brakes shot out. His grandchildren delighted in hearing how he complimented his wife. Every night he ended the day by saying out loud into the darkness, “Alyce, I love you.” He still is.

A funeral service is planned for Friday, June 3, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. at Plymouth United Church of Christ, 4126 Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines.

Online condolences may be made at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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