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CASTLE ROCK, CO -- Mary Kay Rasmussen (nee Kukkonen), born May 12, 1932 in Hancock, Michigan, died peacefully September 5, 2026 in Castle Rock, Colorado, aged 94.
She was preceded in death by her parents Addie and Jacob Kukkenon, her daughter Victoria, her husband Peter Rasmussen, her previous husband Jack Gregory and her stepdaughter Rachel Rasmussen. She is survived by her children Daniel (Michele), Lisa and Jeffrey (Laurel), stepchildren Ann, Pam, and Tim, many grandchildren, her sister Shirley Roberts, 96, nieces and nephews, and numerous friends and colleagues who loved and admired her in her long life.
Mary attended Suomi college in Hancock before obtaining her BA, MA and PhD in psychology from Wayne State University in Detroit. While completing her studies she was employed as a school psychologist in the Detroit area. She taught military officers in the 1970s in Wiesbaden and Berlin, Germany, before becoming a professor at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, followed by a long career in clinical private practice and with Medical Associates in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, where she touched many lives.
She and Peter enjoyed 20 years of retirement in Rockport, Texas, with frequent visits from her family. A lifelong artist, she was a member of the Rockport Center for the Arts where she exhibited and sold her paintings. After Peter’s passing she moved to Castle Rock, Colorado, where she continued pursuing her interests in art, reading, Buddhism, Unitarianism, and the Methodism of her youth, with the help and support of her son Jeff and daughter-in-law Laurel.
She was loved by everyone. Hers was a unique combination of beauty, brains and kindness. She had a quietly approachable and engaging style that drew others to her, and a good sense of humor, too. She persevered through the unthinkable of tragically losing a child with whom she is now reunited in eternity. She will be remembered and missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her with love and deep appreciation of who she was.
The family would like to thank the staff of Cantril House of Castle Rock for their support and care in her final years. In keeping with her altruistic spirit she wished to donate her body to medical research. While she lived much of her adult life away, her heart was always with Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. According to her wishes her family will return her ashes to Lake Superior in a final celebration of her well-lived life.
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