John grew up in Omaha and graduated from Creighton Prep. He went to the University of Nebraska and completed a degree in political science and became a member of the Innocents Society. He entered the Law College, and while there met Christie Ann Reed. In 1970 he and Christie graduated – he from the Law College and she from the University – and they were married.
John and Christie settled in Omaha where John worked in private practice. He later joined Northern Natural Gas and went on to practice law for 31 years, before retiring as general counsel of Mid-American Energy in 2001. John was modest, but his colleagues knew him as an excellent lawyer, noted for his honesty, integrity, and his impressive work ethic. Colleagues called him UNIVAC for his uncanny ability to hoover, process, and synthesize information.
John enjoyed the outdoors. He was a skilled hunter, crack shot, and dog friend. He passed his summers in Park Rapids, Minnesota felling trees, mowing acres of lawn, and, with Christie, hosting throngs of family and friends to what they called the RasMooseInn. In 2010, he and Christie moved full time to the Inn, and, with his characteristic level of intensity, they took up cycling. Joining the Hubbard Bikers, John and Christie rode through the Minnesota woods and across swaths of the European continent. In 2012, John and his friend Fred completed an epic bicycle journey, following the Lewis and Clark Trail from Great Falls, Montana to Crescent, Iowa. John was the President of the Park Rapids Rotary Club.
John loved and was loved by his family. He is survived by his wife, Christie, their four sons, James (Margarita), John (Kirthana), Christopher (Svetlana), and Peter (Naomi), seven grandchildren, and his siblings Christine Sorensen, William Rasmussen, and Michael Rasmussen. He is preceded in death by his parents, John and Mary Louise (Mickey), and his sisters Karen Thompson and Constance Rasmussen.
Family, including in-laws and his many nephews and nieces, sought out John’s counsel when faced with life’s difficulties. His well-earned reputation for insight, compassion, and wisdom made him the natural leader of the family. He will be missed.
Services will be held June 22, 2024 at 11:00 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church (6111 Morrill Avenue, Lincoln). A luncheon following the service will be held at Room 86 at Firethorn Golf Club.
The family asks that donations in honor of John be made to the following organizations: Alzheimer’s Association or the People’s City Mission, Lincoln.