Ilse Rasmussen

On Friday, September 15th, our wonderful, loving, spirited, beautiful mother, Ilse Rasmussen, left this world.

For the past almost 98 years, she lived her life to the fullest, always ready for fun and adventure. She personified the quote that life was not waiting for the storm to pass but to learn to dance in the rain.

Ilse was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1925 and was a very proud Venezolana, loving her home country fiercely. Ilse came to the U.S. in 1951 as a newlywed and raised her three daughters here.

Ilse was a talented seamstress and cook, and she loved to dance and laugh. She read and sought out new knowledge all her life and at one time spoke five languages. She loved beautiful things and her home reflected this, always doing any task with careful attention to detail. Her favorite places were the deserts and wide-open spaces of New Mexico and the beaches of Venezuela.

She leaves behind her three daughters, Monica Rasmussen (Rick Preiss), Sandy Rasmussen, and Alexis Garrelts (Jim Garrelts) as well as her four grandchildren, Melissa Mize (Chris Mize), Danny Dohn (Samantha Dohn), Christian Parrinello (Emily Metz), and Eric Parrinello (Lindsey Davish). In addition, she leaves behind five great granddaughters, Addie, Kennedi, Mia, Zora, and Raine as well as many loved nieces and nephews.

The family would like to express their deep appreciation to the staff at North Shore Health and Rehab Facility in Loveland, Colorado as well as Pathways Hospice for their tender loving care of our mother.

Ilse's celebration of life will be held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Loveland, Colorado, on Monday, September 25th at 1100am.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to her the Larimer County Food Bank or Pathways of Larimer County.