Janet Rasmusen

The funeral service for Janet Rasmusen of Motley, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 3, at the St. John Lutheran Church in Motley. Burial will follow the service at the Motley Public Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church on Friday, July 2, from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. with Prayers at 7:00 p.m. Visitation will resume at the church on Saturday from one hour prior to the service. Janet, age 80, passed away with family by her side on June 27, 2021, at her home near Motley, with compassionate care provided by Knute Nelson Hospice. Janet Iva Rasmusen daughter of Farlie and Ella (Gilmore) Andrus was born July 11, 1940 at the Staples Municipal Hospital, Staples, MN. At the age of three, she moved with her family to St. Paul, where she attended school, graduating from St. Paul Central High School, with the class of 1958. After graduation she worked for a garment manufacturer doing payroll and bookkeeping. She was also an inventory control clerk for a cooperage company for a short time. Janet loved all kinds of music and was a member of the St Paul Chapter of Sweet Adelines for five years. On Oct 9, 1965, Janet married Kenneth Dean Rasmusen in St. John's Lutheran Church, Motley. They made their home on the groom's farm north of Motley where she still lived at the time of her death. Ken and Janet shared 37 years together before Ken's death in 2002. Janet was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church and the Ladies Guild where she was secretary for several years. She was a 4H Club leader for 18 years and really enjoyed working with the kids and all the different projects. She enjoyed cooking, baking, canning and making jelly. She collected cookbooks and old hymnals, and read them from cover to cover. She also liked puzzle books and putting jigsaw puzzles together. Janet read everything she could get her hands on and was a collector of Nativity sets. The one thing she loved above everything else was spending time with her kids and grandsons, either going to garage sales, playing cards or boardgames with them. One of her greatest joys was being involved with her grandsons’ lives and going to school concerts, basketball games, and other activities. Her love for her family was unconditional. She is survived by her children, Paul Rasmusen, Ann Schoon, and Jean Rasmusen; grandsons, Andrew, Daniel, and Michael Schoon, and Justin Poling; great-grandsons Everett and Oliver Poling, sister-in-law Elaine Knapper, and brother-in-law Harvey Marohn; nieces and many cousins. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ken; her parents; her only sister, Barbara Thielman and her husband Dennis; brother-in-law, Edwin Knapper; and sister-in-law Shirley Marohn.

Janet Rasmusen

July 11, 1940 - June 27, 2021