Roger was born on April 5, 1938, to Alma (Sladkey) and Erwin Rasmussen. He married Marion Caroline Kraning—twice! The first time for love and the second time for money.

This is how I, Marion, met Roger.

It was 1980 when seven of my lady co-workers and I took a Green Bay Fun Club bus trip to Nashville, Tennessee, to see the Grand Ole Opry. We were looking forward to a fun excursion! As we left town at 5:00 a.m., a fella named Roger came down the aisle drinking a can of beer. He seemed to know most of the folks on the bus and greeted them by name, sharing laughs with everyone he passed.

When Roger got to our group, we introduced ourselves, and he told us all about Nashville, as he had already been there.

From that moment on, wherever we went, Roger was with us, claiming to be our "TOUR GUIDE!!" This was the beginning of our relationship.

At the time, Roger was an engineer with the Green Bay and Western Railroad. He lived in Wisconsin Rapids but came to Green Bay every weekend to see his mother. Eventually, I introduced him to my daughter, Angie, who was only 10 at the time. They got along well, joking easily, and his nickname for her was "Whimpy."

During the next four years, Roger visited almost every weekend. We made many trips to the cottage up north, and he was happy to invite us to vacation with him across the country.

Four years had gone by when we found out a child was going to bless our lives! I remember telling him the news, and he said we were going right down to the jewelry store—without even a "Will you marry me?" He bought me a diamond of my choice, and I guessed we were getting married!

Our daughter, Shelly A., was born in 1985. Unfortunately, our marriage lasted only 10 months. Roger and I co-parented for the next 14 years, which was occasionally challenging. However, he doted on his time with Shelly, taking her to fun places, going on rides with her, stopping for ice cream, and even indulging her whim of becoming a cashier—he purchased a real cash register for her, and she was thrilled!

One day, out of the blue, Roger said, "I think we should get married," making that the first proposal I received from him! He explained that he wanted us to share in what he had, so we got married a second time. And our second marriage was also based on love.

Now, when I visit Shelly's tree, I will be tying on two purple ribbons in their memory.

Over the course of his lifetime, Roger was a Boy Scout and a member of the Youth Conservation Corps. He was drafted into the Army and stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, from 1961 to 1963. Roger was an engineer with the Green Bay and Western Railroad for more than 30 years.

Roger always told me his favorite part of being an engineer was waving to pretty girls as he blew the train whistle while slowly crossing through intersections. He greatly enjoyed spending time up north fishing and hunting. Roger claimed he "took many shots" each hunting season by sitting in the local bar and throwing back a shot of whiskey for every deer he saw tied to the side of a car as it drove by.

Roger was a member of the Green Bay Moose Lodge and enjoyed playing cribbage there. He easily made friends wherever he went.

There is comfort in knowing that Roger is with Shelly in Heaven, watching over us all. Shelly was always the light in his eyes.

Roger was preceded in death by his daughter, Shelly; his parents, Erwin and Alma Rasmussen; and his brother-in-law, Robert Delaney.

Roger is survived by his spouse, Marion Caroline Kraning-Rasmussen; his stepdaughter, Angela (Kraning) Delveaux, and her husband, David; and their children, Dalton, Roxanne, and Riddick.

He is also survived by his sister, Rogene (Rasmussen) Delaney, and her children: Debbie (Merle) Lemmen of Charleston, South Carolina; Tom (Cheryl) Delaney; Sandy (Russ) Terry of Parker, Colorado; John (Sarah) Delaney; and Pat (Renee) Delaney of Angier, North Carolina.

He is further survived by his brother, Ervin "Bud" Rasmussen, and his wife, Garland, of Boise, Idaho; and their children: John (Krittika) Rasmussen of Richmond, Virginia; Laura Rasmussen of Boise, Idaho; and Ann (Stefan) Krannitz of Tübingen, Germany.

A visitation for Roger will be held at Pfotenhauer Funeral Home Howard-Suamico, 1145 Cardinal Lane, on Friday, June 12, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., with military honors concluding the service at 6:00 p.m.

Burial at Fort Howard Cemetery will be held on Monday, June 15, 2026.