September 21, 1981 – March 31, 2020
We lost our brightest star, Rachael Marie Earnhart Rasmussen. She was born September 21, 1981, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Baby daughter to her loving parents, Vincent and Frances Earnhart. She passed away at her West Valley City home on March 31, 2020 following a long battle with type 1 diabetes and a short battle with thyroid cancer.
Rachael spent her childhood in Idaho, California, and Utah. Her creativity and talent for performance started at a young age - the day she was born, she stole the show. As the newest addition to the family, her older siblings found her to be a nuisance. It didn’t take long for Rachael to win them all over, becoming everyone’s favorite little sister, always being held and carried around. There was one point, however, that one of her siblings tried to bury her under clothes at a department store hoping to get rid of her. Our tow-headed Rachael was a mischievous little angel who as a toddler, loved to feed the ducks at the park.
She married the luckiest man in the world, Nathan Gary Rasmussen, on April 26, 2007. They were married at Wheeler Farm, surrounded by their loving friends and family. An alumna of Utah State University, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History, the only student conferred that degree in the 2009 graduating class. For the last 10 years, she used her talents at Western Governors University, helping students advance their own education. At the time of her death, she was pursuing an education degree, chasing a lifelong goal of becoming a special education teacher.
She was supremely creative. Anyone lucky enough to hear her angelic voice was left awestruck. She didn’t limit her creative talents; she was a skilled painter, a wonderful seamstress sewing beautiful and intricate pieces, a confident actress, a self-taught pianist, and commanding vocal director, always expecting the best from herself and others.
What we all remember so strongly is her creativity, talent, and glow. She had an intuitive ability to sense people’s needs and show compassion at their most vulnerable times. Her favorite way of showing love was through gift giving. Every Christmas, she would send gifts out to her family, friends, and work colleagues. She was always looking ahead to the next birthday, thinking of the perfect gift. She was also spontaneous with her giving; if she saw something at the store that reminded her of you, she would buy it.
She is survived by her husband, Nathan Gary Rasmussen, her parents Vincent and Frances Earnhart, her siblings Teresa (Jim) Blair, David (Kathleen) Earnhart, Michael (Kristie) Earnhart, Kathryn Earnhart, Sarah Earnhart (Kat Fausett), and Elizabeth Lantz. Rachael is also survived by her parents-in-law, Gary and Pamela Rasmussen, siblings-in-law Tori Rasmussen, Tia (Paul) Samuelsen, Nicholas (Megan) Rasmussen, Tanya Rasmussen, and numerous beloved nieces and nephews.
Due to social distancing measures, a remembrance ceremony will be scheduled for a later date. In lieu of flowers, we request donations to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (jdrf.org).
The brightest stars burn out fastest. Rachael, your light has made all our lives better.
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