Lowell Andrew Rasmussen

Lowell Andrew Rasmussen, of Westminster, Colorado, passed away on Thursday, September 25, 2014. He was 87. Lowell was born on December 12, 1926, in a snowstorm on a farm near Raub, North Dakota, to Robert and Nora (Amundson) Rasmussen. The family later bought a farm near Drayton, North Dakota. He attended school in a one-room schoolhouse near the family farm. Lowell left school in his senior year and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in February 1945. He served on a troop transport, the USS Gen. J.R. Brooke, until July 1946 when he was honorably discharged. Following his discharge, Lowell returned to Park River High School to finish his senior year and earn his high school diploma. He took advantage of the G.I. Bill to enroll in the University of North Dakota where he earned his degree in Geological Engineering. Lowell met Katherine Margaret Gestson of Edinburgh, North Dakota, while she also was in Grand Forks studying to become a Registered Nurse. They were married on September 28, 1951, in Edinburgh and were together for 63 years. Lowell was employed as a petroleum geologist, a profession that took him to many states from Texas to North Dakota and to Canada. A son, Randall Scott Rasmussen, was born in 1952 while they lived in Colorado City, Texas, and a second son, Lowell Craig Rasmussen, was born in 1954 while they lived in Aurora, Colorado. In 1958, Lowell took a job as a geologist in The Philippines. A third son, Rick Miguel Rasmussen, was born in 1959 in Manila. He returned to the United States in 1963, and his family lived in Westminster, Colorado, Los Angeles, California, and Casper, Wyoming, where he explored for uranium and became a geological consultant. In 1973, he moved to Westminster, where he and Katherine lived until his death. Lowell was a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Lowell is survived by his wife, Katherine; three sons, Randall, Craig and Rick (Julie); four granddaughters, Corinne (Frank), Dustina, Allison and Lauren; one grandson, Max; two great-granddaughters, Lilly and Ruby; and four brothers, Donald, Robert, Byron and William. He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers, Howard, Wallace and Franklin. A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, October 2, 2014, at Advent Lutheran Church in Westminster. Visitation will be at the church for one hour prior to the service. Lowell will be buried, with military honors, at 9:30 a.m. Friday, October 3, at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be directed to American Cancer Society, Disabled American Veterans or Lutheran Family Services.