Donald Rashke

Donald Norman Rashke, age 80, passed away on Thursday, September 27, 2012, in Houston, Texas. Loving husband to Patricia N. Rashke and predeceased by loving wife Diana Rashke.
Don was born February 3, 1932 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Guy and Angeline (Luksich) Rashke. After proudly serving four years in the US Navy as Seaman First Class, Don took a job in the print shop of the Milwaukee Journal newspaper. As his family grew, he decided to leave Milwaukee to raise his children in the country, and in 1965, with no farming experience he bought a dairy farm in Amherst, Wisconsin. Don spent the next ten years running a successful farm and raising a herd of prize winning Holstein cows.
In 1975, Don sold the farm equipment and cows and joined Aetna as an insurance agent, starting his own agency, The Insurance Center. Working in agri-business and serving many of his farming neighbors, Don became an extremely successful insurance broker, breaking many sales records and making the Million Dollar Round Table. By his second year he was promoted to Regional Sales Director, and after only three years had the top selling region.
After discovering a seldom used section of the tax code that allows sole proprietors to deduct all of their medical expenses, Don developed AgriPlan and BizPlan, two services that provided much needed tax savings to hundreds of thousands of family farmers and small business owners nationwide. In just the last ten years, AgriPlan and BizPlan have saved these small business owners collectively over one billion dollars.
In 1987, Don moved his company to Madison, Wisconsin. After changing the name of the company to Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC), Don divested the company of all insurance holdings. Concentrating solely on developing and marketing employee benefit accounts, TASC became the largest, privately held third-party administrator in the country. Don retired from TASC in 1996, but remained the company's Chairman of the Board for another 16 years. After retirement, he moved to Houston, Texas where Don was active in local community theater, and authored a book entitled Adventures of Mustang Sally.
Don is survived by his wife Patricia and children, Guy Rashke and wife Liz; Sandra Rashke-Smith; Theresa Kuffel and husband John; Bruce Rashke and wife Barbara; Richard Rashke and wife Heidi; Daniel Rashke and wife Patti; adopted daughter Misti Rashke-Kurtz and husband Peter. He is also survived by his brother, Richard L. Rashke and wife Paula, 18 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, numerous step children, step-grandchildren, one step great-grandchild and his loyal Staffordshire Bull Terrier - his pal Sally
A funeral service will be held Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at noon at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison. Friends may greet the family from 10:00 til time of service.
In lieu of flowers, please make donation to United Way, Hospice, or Turkana Basin Institute.
Cress Funeral &
Cremation Services
3610 Speedway Road,
Madison 608-238-3434
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