Vince Rasper

Vince Rasper passed away peacefully in his home on Wednesday, May 10th surrounded by the people who loved him most - his devoted wife, Ila (married 1966), and his daughters Kristen (Matt), Jessica (Jim), and Erica (Ken). He was 79. He is preceded in death by his son Andy. He is survived by his wife, daughters, grandsons Davis, Gavin, and Rory, and granddaughter, Genevieve, his sister, Ida, and brothers Alan (Deb) and John (Anita). Vince had an incredible mind, a big heart, and a great sense of humor. He was one of the smartest people in any room. An engineer by education (heck… by birth), he graduated with honors from the University of Cincinnati followed by a second degree from the University of Minnesota before devoting his professional life to Exxon Mobil, where he worked for 35 years. He was a big fan of trivia and loved to watch Jeopardy nightly with Ila. He even had occasion to appear on the game show (pre-Trebek) in 1970. Friends and family often regretted challenging him to a game of Trivial Pursuit. Vince was a man fully devoted to his family. His great love for his daughters, sons in law, and grandchildren may only have been eclipsed by his love and devotion to his wife, Ila, with whom he shared 60 beautiful years full of friendship, laughter, and adventures. What Vince loved most was to laugh and to make those around him do the same. His wit was quick, dry, and deadly. Tiny moments in time- dramatic readings of wine bottle labels, yelling at deer to get away from his apple trees (armed with a stick), an ill-fated attempt at baking a Yule Log, Grandaddy Vince magic, his desire to master the French language much to the chagrin of his family-are some of the many things that made Vince, Vince. Memories of travel, game nights at home, his love of music and antics on the dance floor, sharing a bottle of wine and conversation will always be a part of our family history. The last few years took him slowly away from us- but this heaviness was lightened by the wonderful people at the Williamsburg Landing Adult Day program and Amedisys Hospice, whose care and compassion made the end of his life more comfortable for him and his family. As a tribute to Vince, the family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Williamsburg Landing Adult Day program. We also ask that you remind those you love how much you love them, and reminisce about the gold. Great grief comes only from great love. We will grieve because we are and will always be so very full of love for Vince, our Superman.