Ervin "Duane" Lassen (1948-2007)

LASSEN, BORCHERS, NEYT

Posted By: Ames Tribune
Date: 3/23/2007 at 06:14:26

THE AMES TRIBUNE, Ames, Story County, Iowa, Thursday, March 22, 2007.

Oct. 23, 1948-March 20, 2007

Ervin "Duane" Lassen, of Fort Collins, Colo., died Tuesday, March 20, at his home following a seven-year battle with multiple myeloma. As per Duane's request, a casual memorial and celebration of his life will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 25, upstairs at the Rio Grand Mexican Restaurant, 143 W. Mountain Ave., Fort Collins.

Duane Lassen was born Oct. 23, 1948, in Le Mars, to Ervin and Sadie Lassen. He met his wife Kathy, of Boone, at Iowa State University, and they were married June 5, 1971. He received a doctorate of veterinary medicine from ISU in 1972 and, after serving in the Peace Corps in Tonga, he returned to ISU, where he completed a residency in veterinary clinical pathology and obtained his Ph.D. He served on the faculty at Oregon State University for 14 years and had been on the faculty at Colorado State University since 1994 where he was a professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology and had served as section head of Clinical Pathology. He had won the Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teaching Award three times at different universities.

He was an avid runner, weight lifter and scuba diver. He had biked the Leadville 100 and was an avid sports fan. Beyond his hobbies and his career, Duane's great love was his family, and he will be missed as a son, husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend and teacher.

He is survived by his mother, Sadie; four brothers, Gaylan (Bonnie), Sherwin (Rhonda), Arlo and Delwyn (Belinda); one sister, Twila (Ronnie) Borchers; Kathy, his wife of 35 years; one daughter, Erika (Brian) Neyt, of Medford, Ore.; one son, Jarrod "Jay" (Kelly), of Denver, Colo.; four grandchildren, who knew him as "Papa D," Hayden Duane Neyt, Brennen Joseph Neyt, Jonah Jay Lassen and Aubrey JoAnn Lassen; and numerous nieces and nephews. Duane's daughter, Erika, is expecting his fifth grandchild.

In lieu of gifts or flowers, he requested that any contributions be made to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University, the Multiple Myeloma Foundation at the University of Arkansas Medical Center or the Northwest Nazarene University Athletic Department (where his son Jay played basketball), in care of Goes Funeral Care, 3665 Canal Drive, Suite E, Fort Collins, CO 80524.

Please go online to goesfuneralcare.com to share a memory about Duane and/or to sign the guest book.

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