Obituary of Verna L. Rausch

Verna L. Rausch, age 95, a lifelong resident of Minneapolis, passed away January 18, 2019. She was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers, three sisters, and her good friend Ruth Hovde. She is survived by numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews along with many wonderful neighbors. Verna graduated from the U of M Med Tech program in 1945 and joined the faculty there in 1946. She then received her master's in Physiological Chemistry in 1952 and remained as a faculty member until her retirement in 1987. Working at a time when men significantly outnumbered women in the medical field, she and a colleague wrote a seminal paper which created new standards for quality control in laboratory medicine. In 1977 they received the Professional Achievement Award from the American Society for Medical Technology for that paper and subsequent career accomplishments. On May 1, 1984 she received the Horace T. Morse - Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education. She was a lifelong supporter of Gopher athletics, maintaining season tickets to hockey and football, attending games for over 50 years and sharing them with her family and friends for as long as she was physically able. Her morning ritual included coffee, the New York Times crossword puzzle IN INK, and the Peanuts comics. At the end, she was well cared for by the staff at Adagio Assisted Living Residence. A memorial gathering will be held at Cremation Society of Minnesota, 7110 France Ave S. Edina, MN 55435, on Sat. Feb 9th, from 11AM to 1PM. Memorials preferred to the Williams Fund or the Patty Berg Fund at the U of M. "Goodbyes always make my throat hurt...I need more hellos...." - Charles Schulz