ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – Marguerite “Marge” Rasmussen Knowlen, 72 years old, passed on peacefully and comfortably, Aug. 8, 2013, in her home in Ormond Beach, Fla., after a long illness. Marge was surrounded by, cared for and deeply loved by her best friend and husband of 51 years, Richard Knowlen; her three children, Richard Knowlen Jr. of Windermere, Alicia Engel of Ormond Beach, and Julie Knowlen of Port Orange; granddaughter, Erin Engel of Ormond Beach; sister, Linda Belmain of Flagler Beach; and brother, Edward Rasmussen of Lake Panasoffkee, all in Florida. Marge’s full and meaningful life was shared by many other cherished family members, grandson, Cameron; granddaughter, Anna; and daughter-in-law, Kelly Knowlen, all of Windermere, Fla.; son-in-law, Rob Engel of Ormond Beach, Fla.; sister-in-law, Madeline Day of Bethel; brother-in-law, Ronald Belmain of Flagler Beach, Fla.; precious nieces, nephews and cousins; and her adored German Schnauzer, Max.
Marge was predeceased by her father; mother; younger brother, Carl Rasmussen; her mother-in-law and father-in-law, Alice and Maurice Knowlen; and brother-in-law, Bob Day.
Raised in Caribou, by her Advent Christian minister father, the Rev. Martin Rasmussen, and deeply Christian mother, Pearl Simonds Rasmussen, Marge was extremely proud to have been raised as a Danish country girl on a farm in northern Maine. Her work ethic could not be challenged. She loved music; sang alto in her eight-member high school group, the Chordettes, and could pick out any song she knew on the piano, teaching childhood friends and siblings to play many songs. After graduating from beauty culture school and then LPN nursing school Marge met her husband, Dick, of Norridgewock, when they were both living and working on Mount Desert Island; Marge as a nurse in Bar Harbor and Dick as a Coast Guardsman in Southwest Harbor. Dick soon became employed by the National Park Service at Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, thus beginning their lifetime of travel throughout and service to our national park system, from Maine to Arizona to Utah to Texas, and then 27 years at Hot Springs National Park, Ark. After becoming an RN as a busy mother of three, Marge retired from 42 years of nursing and Dick from 33 years of civil service and left their Hot Springs, Ark., home to follow their children and grandchildren to Florida 11 years ago. Her most cherished recent memories were of their trip to Alaska and their week spent at a lake house in Maine celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, given to them by their children and families.
At the request of the family, memorial gifts may be made to Tomoka United Methodist Church, 1000 Old Tomoka Road, Ormond Beach, FL 32174, where friends and family celebrated her life on Aug. 24.
Marguerite Rasmussen Knowlen
