Calvin Rasmussen

Calvin H Rasmussen, 85, of Boise, died on December 29, 2010 at home surrounded by his family. Funeral services will be held Monday, January 3, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at the LDS chapel located at 11918 W. Ustick Rd. in Boise, Idaho. Friends may call to visit with the family on Sunday, January 2nd from 6 - 8 p.m. at the Relyea Funeral Chapel located at 318 N. Latah in Boise, Idaho, and from 10:00 until 10:45 a.m. before the service. Bishop Bryant L. Bench of the Meridian 10th Ward will be conducting the services under the direction of the Relyea Funeral Chapel. Calvin was born July 20, 1925 at Mink Creek, Idaho to Orlando Rasmussen and Sarah Lizzie Rasmussen. He was the seventh child in a family of 15 children. He was born in a log house on Capital Hill. His family moved when he was two to the family farm. After high school, he served in the Army during and after World War II. He served an LDS mission to the Western Canadian Mission from 1949 to 1951. He married Dessie Elizabeth Hunt on July 20, 1954 in the LDS Logan Temple. From this union, they have three children, 11 grandchildren, and 16 great grandchildren. He retired after 25 years from the Ada County Assessor's office as a field appraiser. Cal served in many positions in the LDS Church. He was a Scoutmaster, a Councilor in a bishopric, a High Priest Group Leader, a Finance Clerk, a Home Teacher, and served three stake missions. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Dessie of Boise; his children, Mrs. Terry A. (Rebecca) Smith of Boise, Calvin Todd Rasmussen and his wife Dree of Boise, and Ryan Hunt Rasmussen and his wife Wesley of Springville, Utah. He is survived by seven siblings, Arden, Carma, Kendall, Wanda, Garland, Lois, and Lila Rae. He was preceded in death by his parents, and seven siblings, Lima, Verla, Dorward, Lizzie, DeMar, Darma, and Orlando Jr. The family asks that any donations be made to: Alzheimer's Idaho, Inc. at 5922 N. Brooklet Ave., Boise, Idaho 83713. Any tributes and condolences can be left at www.relyeafuneralchapel.com.

I compiled a list of 26 things that I am grateful for this afternoon. The few minutes I spent compiling this list served as a reminder to me about the many blessings that I have. There is so much good in my life.

1. The Atonement

*I am grateful for this one every single day of the year. Happiness wouldn't be possible with the Atonement. I'm grateful for the chance to be better each day. I'm glad that I don't have to wallow in the misery of past mistakes. I'm grateful for the perfect life of the Savior.

2. My family

*My family is quirky and I love it. I have so many fond memories of times spent together doing ridiculous things. Each member of my family adds a dimension to my life. I would be so very lonely without them.

3. My entire family lives in the West!!

*This has not been the case for several years. The last time my whole extended family was together prior to September 2010 was October 2007 when Tom got home from his mission. I am so grateful to have Mike, Natalie, and family within 30 minutes. I love seeing them frequently and being a part of their lives. I am so glad that Nick and Lachelle moved to Boise because I will now get to see them more than once per year. I love that my parents and Tom are easily accessible by car.

4. My students

*I just love, love, love my students this year. All 31 of them have unique personalities and they make going to work each day worth it. I am grateful for the chance to be their teacher and to see them make progress toward their goals. It is impossible to spend 30 hours a week with someone and not be influenced by him/her. Each of my students has a profound impact on me.

5. My apartment

*I probably love living alone too much. I've been in this apartment since the first of July and I still feel so happy each time I walk in the door. For the first time since leaving home in 2002, I actually feel the place where I reside is my home. It has my things and my personality. I feel comfortable and happy there. I feel safe too.

6. My mission

*There will never be words to describe the experience that I had on my mission. I am so grateful that I was able to serve in Thailand. I love the Thai people and culture so much. I watched some mission DVDs this past week and was reminded of the outstanding examples of so many of the people that I had the chance to know in Thailand. My testimony was strengthened exponentially during the time I was a missionary. I reflect on my mission daily and am so grateful that I went.

7. My friends

*My friends mean a lot to me. I am grateful to have loyal friends who care about me. I am grateful for the memories I have with my friends. I am grateful that many of my friendships remain intact despite long separations. My friends help make being single more bearable.

8. Snowshoeing

*A couple of years ago, Havilah and I decided to invest in snowshoes. We go as often as we can during the winter months and it has made winter a more pleasurable time of year. Some of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen have been while snowshoeing in the beautiful canyons of Utah. I am grateful that I have several friends who also enjoy snowshoeing.

9. Delicious food

*One of the perks of having a full-time job is having money to spend on delicious food. I love trying new styles of food or new restaurants. I am grateful to have like-minded friends when it comes to food. I am so grateful for spices and sauces and meat. I'm grateful that Utah has loads of amazing restaurants.

10. The Library

*I use three different libraries and feel extreme amounts of pleasure as I think about each one. There is so much to be had at a library. I am grateful for all of the books, movies, books on tape, and CDs that I have been able to enjoy for free thanks to the library. I go at least once a week, sometimes more.

11. My testimony

*I've always felt like a pretty grounded person and I owe a lot of that to my testimony. I have always had a testimony and I feel so grateful for the moments where I am taught by the Spirit. I'm grateful that the Lord gives me opportunities to strengthen my testimony.

12. Travel

*I love to travel. It is one of my favorite things to do. If I had more money, I would travel the world in a heartbeat. I love experiencing new cultures and getting outside of myself. I love eating local foods and visiting sites of historical importance. I am grateful for all of the trips that I have taken in my life. I think about the places I've been all the time. I'm grateful that I've been able to travel so many places with my family, especially my mom.

13. Sleep

*I am grateful that I get to sleep every single night. I love sleep, probably more than most people. For some reason, I have always required more than the average amount of sleep. I am grateful that my lifestyle allows me to get sufficient sleep because I am no fun to be around when I am tired.

14. My brain

*I am so thankful for the ability to think and reason. I feel grateful that I am able to step back from some of the tough situations in my life and look at things rationally. This is one of the benefits of being an adult that I enjoy the most.

15. Education in all forms

*I will forever be grateful that I went to college. I loved college so much. I loved every class I took. I am so grateful that learning doesn't have to end when you receive your degree. I have learned many, many things post-college that have enriched my life. I am grateful to the example of family and friends who are also life-long learners.

16. Social networking

*There are certainly some evils associated with blogs and facebook but in general, I am really grateful for both of those things. I have been able to keep in touch with people that I never would have heard from otherwise. I am grateful that I can chat online with the youth from Sisaket. I am grateful that I know what my friends in high school are doing despite not having seen them in years. I love seeing all of the adorable pictures of my nieces and nephews.

17. IB Profin

*My favorite drug. It takes away so many pains: cramps, headaches, soreness, etc. I don't take it frequently, but each time I do, it does its job perfectly.

18. Music

*I am grateful to have a piano. I play it nearly every day. I am grateful for the role that music has played in my life. I love singing and playing and listening and creating. I am grateful for the power of a good lyric.

19. Exercise

*It is amazing how what exercise can do for you. It relieves stress and makes your body stronger and more capable. I haven't done super well with exercising lately but I intent to step up again. I have never felt better physically than I did last year when I was exercising 5 to 6 days per week. It is totally worth the time and effort.

20. Art/Photographs

*I am grateful for beautiful things that I can look at. I am grateful for the skills of many artists who are able to capture the essence of whatever it is that they are portraying. I am grateful that art exists in many different mediums. I am grateful for free galleries. I am grateful for my camera.

21. allrecipes.com

*Mind you, I am not a very good cook. But, I'm getting better the more I practice. I love allrecipes.com because they have so many recipes. Because they are ranked and have commentary by people who have tried the recipe, I have always been able to find a good recipe for whatever it is I am trying to make. Someday I should pay money and subscribe to the website so that I can email recipes to myself, but for now, free is good.

22. The temple

*Each day as I leave the parking lot of my apartment complex, I see the Jordan River Temple straight ahead. I have loved that temple since the first time I went a few years ago. I am so grateful to have a temple recommend. I am grateful for the ordinances in the temple and the spirit that I feel there. I am grateful to have multiple temples within an hour of where I live.

23. Books

*Oh, books. I love them. I was talking to a fellow teacher the other day about books. He told me that a study done at some university (sorry I can't remember which one) showed that kids are most likely to be good readers if they see their parents reading. My parents have always been readers and I am thankful for their example. I am grateful for beautiful writing, poignant stories, non-fiction awesomeness. I am grateful for Good Reads because it has helped me organize my book lists. Right now I am reading a book recommendation from Mike called Napoleon's Buttons. It is about 17 molecules and how they have changed world history. It is a really unique approach to history and I love how the authors combine history and chemistry. It is delightful.

24. Writing/ Language

*I don't think that I am a particularly good writer but I love doing it. I love revising. It is my favorite part of the writing process. I remember sitting down with my essays in college and getting so excited as I took sentences and crafted them. I love reading an author's words as a writer. I love discovering beautiful language. I am so grateful to Ms. Norton, my AP English teacher, who taught me that it is perfectly acceptable to write in the margins of books and to highlight phrases or passages that mean something to you. Two of my favorite books for this are East of Eden by John Steinbeck and Life of Pi by Yann Martel.

25. People Who Are Awesome

*There are so many awesome people in my life who do amazing things for others without complaining or asking for compensation. I am grateful for them. I am grateful for Austin who took the time to transfer my VCDs to DVDs. I am grateful for my mom who came to my classroom for two days and was the best volunteer ever. I am grateful to Natalie who lets me come over and hang out all of the time. There are so many other people in my life who are amazing.

26. Thai

*I am grateful that I learned to speak Thai. It is a beautiful language. I am grateful that I have opportunities to speak it every day. My skills have waxed and waned over the last few years but I am grateful that I can still communicate. I pray every day in Thai. I feel very strongly that I need to keep up on my Thai and I truly am grateful for all of the opportunities that I have to do so.