Frances Rasmus comforted people being admitted to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. “She would always talk about people deserving dignity,” said her son, Bob. Mrs. Rasmus, 86, died of pancreatic and liver cancer Friday, July 30, in her Mt. Prospect home. She was born Frances Deinlein Her family lost their Wilmette home during thet Depression and moved to Chicago. Mrs. Rasmus had to turn down a Northwestern University academic scholarship because her parents couldn’t afford the textbooks, said her son. “She said she never viewed herself as poor because she was rich in things that really mattered,” he said. She married Robert Rasmus but the couple later divorced. She was a founding member of St. Raymond de Penafort Catholic Church in Mt. Prospect, where she helped establish the religious education program and school. Later, she taught 3rd grade at the school, retiring in 1977. She then volunteered at the hospital and was hired after a few years, said her son. She retired from her second career in the late 1980s. Her son said she demanded that everyone wear bright colors to her funeral. “She said, `Life is such a wonderful thing, and you need to celebrate, not mourn someone’s passing,'” her son said. Mrs. Rasmus volunteered with several organizations, including the American Cancer Society. Other survivors include two daughters, Pamela Pierre and Deborah Rasmus; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday in Friedrichs Funeral Home, 320 W. Central Rd., Mt. Prospect. A mass will be said at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Raymond de Penafort Church, 301 S. I-Oka Ave., Mt. Prospect.
