Roy E. Rasmussen

July 23, 1947 - April 14, 2022

Roy Rasmussen, 74 of Kearney passed away Thursday, April 14, 2022 at St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln. Funeral services will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 23, 2022 at First Lutheran Church with Rev. Dr. Michelle Holley Carlson and Rev. Dr. Rick Carlson officiating. Interment will follow at Kearney Cemetery. Visitation will be 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Friday at O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home in Kearney. Memorials are suggested to Bethany Homes in Minden or to First Lutheran Church in Kearney. Condolences may be shared online at www.osrfh.com. Services are entrusted to O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral and Cremation Services. Roy was born July 23, 1947 in Sidney, Nebraska to Elmer and Deana (Bourlier) Rasmussen. He was raised in the West Plains of Colorado and attended Stoney Buttes Elementary and Peetz High School in Peetz, CO. Following his graduation he attended Northeastern Junior College, Sterling, CO, and later Bethany College, Lindsborg, KS. He went on to attend Northwestern Theological Seminary, St. Paul, MN. On August 14, 1971, Roy was united in marriage to Lola Burton at Peace Lutheran Church is Sterling, CO. He was ordained by the Lutheran Church of America on July 28th, 1974, in Lindsborg, Kansas. Roy served as pastor at Trinity, Stamford, NE 08/74-06/81; Mission La Paz, Osorno, Chile, 06/81-06/89; St. Johns & Grace Lutheran Churches, Ohiowa, NE 06/89-01/93; Friends Home, Savonburg, KS, 01/93-07/00; Fredericksburg, Minden, NE 07/00-04/06; Chaplin for Bethany Homes, Minden, NE 07/00-04/06; Interim Pastor at First Lutheran, Kearney, NE 08/06-08/09; various other Lutheran Churches in Nebraska as Interim pastor 07/09-07/13. Roy retired from all pastoral duties 07/13. He enjoyed participating in the church choir and singing in The Messiah. His life-long hobbies included gardening, stamp collecting, coin collecting, and knitting. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Lola Rasmussen of Kearney; children, Anders (Rebecca) Rasmussen of Lafayette, CO, Austin (Elisha) Rasmussen of Toronto, KS, Adrian Rasmussen of Gibbon, Andrea Rasmussen of Boise, ID, Alexia (Ely) Wells of Redding, KS and Angela Linnemeyer of Kearney; grandchildren, David and Daniel Wells, Hayden and Hailey Rasmussen, Gabriel, Michael, and Josiah Rasmussen and Zoey and Oliver Linnemeyer; siblings, Elna Hamilton of Colorado, Kay Clemens of Sun City West, AZ, Bonnie Koenig of Washington, Elaine Raffelson, Dean (Sheri) Rasmussen of Sterling, CO; as well as many nieces, nephews and several extended family and friends. Roy was preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law, Laddie & Coral Burton; son-in-law, Eric Linnemeyer; brothers-in-law, Vince Clemens and Howard Hamilton; sisters-in-law, Leah Clark and Paula Burton; niece, Katrina Bentivegna; and great nephew, Booker T. Jackson, III.