Robert Rasmussen

Robert Rasmussen

05/31/1937 - 09/26/2022

Robert (Bob) Rasmussen passed away on September 26, 2022 while working in the yard of his Hereford, Arizona home. Bob is survived by his wife of 45 years, Nancy, daughters Deanna and Coral, and sons Joel and Brian, as well as six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Bob was a horseless cowboy who liked his food black and coffee grounds in the bottom of his cup. His hands were never idle. He was a ceaseless maker who could form with the same hands a sturdy house or a delicate songbird. His tires were never cold. From motorcycles to motorhomes, from dirt to pavement, his love of the outdoors kept him and his family traveling and observing the wilder areas of the country he loved. He lived a full life as a crafter, crafting memories and crafting things.

Bob was born in 1937 in Des Moines, Iowa. His love of woodworking began early, working with his dad, August, who was an architect and carpenter by trade. His mom, Harriet, was an amazing knitter and homemaker. He often reminisced about her aebleskiver and the delicious corn they harvested from the neighboring fields.

In high school Bob was in band and on the swim team. Afterward, he rode route 66 on his motorcycle to Camp Pendleton, California where he enlisted in the Marine Corps. After two years of service, he walked into a Chevrolet dealership with a pocket full of cash. He walked back out with empty pockets, a smile, and a new Corvette.

Bob met his first wife, Karen, while hot rodding on the back roads of Des Moines. They moved to Phoenix, Arizona where their daughter, Deanna, was born in 1966. He continued to develop his natural abilities to create things. He also continued to live out a personal principle that he should not pay someone to fix a problem or tackle a project that he could figure out himself.

Bob met his future wife, Nancy, and after falling in love, they were married in 1977. They moved to Puyallup, Washington where Brian was born in 1978. A family of six now, Bob passed along his life knowledge and fondness of the outdoors. He got them out whenever he could to camp, boat, fish and make memories (often all at once).

In Puyallup, Bob built custom homes with his brother, Don. He eventually opened his own cabinet business. He, Nancy and Brian moved to Chehalis, Washington where he built their new house. After retirement, Bob and Nancy moved to Arizona where they found a quiet spot near the mountains where they have lived the last 19 years.

In “retirement”, Bob built their Southwestern-style house, helped his neighbors with projects, carved animals, painted pictures, fixed equipment and vehicles and wrote songs. He also found the time to design and build over 19 guitars and repair countless more.

Those guitars, along with many memories he created with his family, will ring out from the desert skies above Cochise County for generations to come.

Service at Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1300 S Buffalo Soldier Trail, Sierra Vista, Arizona, 85635. At 1:30PM on October 11 2022.

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