Dr. Robert E. Asmussen

Dr. Robert E. Asmussen, 93, of Great Falls, died of natural causes Monday, March 19, at Missouri River Manor in Great Falls.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Croxford Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

He is survived by his sons, Robert C. Asmussen and Ernest E. (Kellee) Asmussen of Great Falls; daughter Lore A. (Mike) Davis of Kalispell; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Margaret, who passed away in 2006. His sister, Betty Fleischman, also preceded him in death.

"Doc" Asmussen was born July 15, 1918, in Wendell, Idaho, to Erich and Lucie Asmussen. He grew up on his family's farm where he de-veloped a strong grip from milking cows and developed a love of gardening. He loved to tell the story that his dad bought an automatic milking machine the day he moved away from the farm.

Much to the chagrin of his children, he told them that going to school was like a vacation compared to working on the farm. He said he always looked forward to school starting in the fall. As a result he was a good student and was the salutatorian for the Wendell High School Class of 1936.

Leaving home after high school, he worked at several jobs in southern Idaho, which eventually took him to Boise, Idaho, where he worked for the state of Idaho at the capitol. While living at a boarding house near the capitol, he met his future wife and lifelong partner, Margaret Sloan, who was living at the same boarding house. Upon meeting, they discovered that they had grown up a mere 12 miles apart but had not met until moving to Boise. He often treated his children to stories of his youth, including some stories of wild antics that he and some of the other young men participated in while living there, stories that would cause "Margie" to raise an eyebrow and shake her head.

In 1942, after working for several years, he decided to go back to school, attending the University of Idaho in Moscow. He began studying chemical engineering but then switched to pre-med. The following year he married Margaret on Sept. 19, 1943, at the family farm and then returned to Moscow. While at the University of Idaho, he received the Phi Eta Sigma Scholarship Award. After graduation, he started medical school in 1949 at the University of Oregon Medical School in Portland. He did his internship and residency at the Multnomah County Hospital in Portland, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. He practiced for one year in Walla Walla, Wash.

In 1954 he was drafted into the U.S Navy. Stationed at Bremerton, Wash., he served as the Chief of Dependent Services at the U.S. Naval Hospital at the rank of first lieutenant.

In 1956, following discharge from the Navy, Doc joined the Great Falls Clinic. One of the highlights of his career occurred in 1966 when he performed the first successful intrauterine blood transfusion in Montana. This is a procedure that was developed to save the baby's life when the blood Rh factor of the mother and baby are different.

He practiced at the Great Falls Clinic until 1988, delivering over 4,000 babies. As a result of his long and dedicated service in caring for women in the Great Falls area and because of his distinctive head of "Ben Cartwright" white hair, he was recognized all over Montana and in many neighboring states. Once he was strolling down a street in Seattle with his family, a lady approached him and asked if he was Dr. Asmussen. When he said he was, she told him he had delivered all of her children.

Doc and Margaret enjoyed many hobbies and pastimes together, including hunting, water and snow skiing, and square dancing. They particularly enjoyed spending time at Swan Lake where they have had a summer cabin for many years. It was the place where they and their family gathered as often as possible to share time and tales together.

Condolences may be posted online at www.croxfordfuneralhome.com and/or www.gftribune.com/obituaries.