Nila Rasmussen

Nila M. Rasmussen, 81, of Elba died Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at CHI St. Francis in Grand Island.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Elba.  Father Rayappa Konka and Ray Kosmicki will officiate.  Interment will be in the Cotesfield Cemetery near Cotesfield.

Visitation will be on Friday, from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the church in Elba with a wake service at 5:30 p.m.

Memorials are suggested to the Elba Community Center or the family’s choice.

Jacobsen-Greenway Funeral Home in St. Paul is in charge of arrangements.

Mrs. Rasmussen was born April 14, 1934 at Greeley to Leroy and Ethel (Maxwell) Yax.

Nila grew up on the family farm outside of Scotia.  She graduated from Scotia High School.

She was united in marriage to Robert J. Rasmussen on October 25, 1952 in Scotia.

The couple raised five children, an infant son Terry passed away at the age of 2.

Nila was a mother having 5 children under the age of 5.  She spent hours canning sweet corn, tomatoes, and elderberry syrup.  She always had a garden of vegetables and flowers.  She was famous for her kolaches and dinner rolls.

Beyond this she worked outside the home.  She owned and operated Nila’s Café in Elba.  Crowds came from all over for her Sunday buffets.

The birthday club brought her so much joy and happiness.

She was a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Elba and a lifetime member of the Carl Mogensen American Legion Auxiliary Unit 119 of St. Paul.

She loved spending time with her family.  She enjoyed her grandchildren and great-grandchildren along with all the friends and children who visited her.

Survivors include a son and daughter-in-law, Dan and Michele Rasmussen of Cotesfield; four daughters and three sons-in-law, Linda Rasmussen of Oakland, NE, Sandra and Kevin Bredthauer of Iowa Falls, IA, Kay and Chris Philpott of Hoosick Falls, NY, and Kim and Mark Oliva of Cornwall-On-Hudson, NY; ten grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; a sister, Vonnie Dzingle of Loup City; brothers-in-law, Dennis Rasmussen of Cotesfield and Pete Pedersen of St. Paul; and a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Dean and Cookie Rasmussen of North Loup.

She is preceded in death by her parents; an infant son, Terry; husband, Robert J. Rasmussen; two sisters, Maxine Rasmussen and Jean Pedersen; a brother, Bernard Yax and Vernon Graham, fiancé of Linda Rasmussen.