Hansena LaVerne Rasmussen, or simply "LaVerne" as she was known, was born on August 29, 1917, in Joseph, Utah, to Erastus L Rasmussen Sr. and Laura LaVerne Hunt. LaVerne was the third of six children born to her parents. At just 4-years-old, LaVerne lost her father to Typhoid fever. Her mother was pregnant with their sixth child at the time of his passing.
After her father's death, LaVerne's uncle, Otto Rasmussen Sr. (her father's brother), took on the role of caretaker to the family. Her mother, Laura LaVerne, married Otto on his 28th birthday. The day was special because Erastus passed away at 28 and Otto wanted to step in to the role as husband and father exactly where his brother left off. It was truly a tribute to a man they all loved and missed deeply.
The family lived in Sevier and Weber County before moving to Salt Lake City around 1926, when LaVerne was about 8-years-old. Her mother and step-father added four more siblings to the family for a total of 10 children combined. Like his deceased brother, Otto worked for the D & R G Railroad.
In 1930, the family experienced another loss when LaVerne's younger brother, Erastus Jr., passed away from myocarditis caused by tonsillitis. He was just 11-years-old at the time. Tragedy struck again when, in 1934, LaVerne's mother passed away from heart failure, LaVerne was only 16-years-old when she died. Her youngest siblings, twins Janet and James, were still toddlers when their mother died. It was a heartbreaking event for the entire family as Laura LaVerne left a husband and 9 children to mourn her loss.
After her mother's passing, LaVerne, being one of the oldest children, began taking on much of the household responsibilities including caring for her younger siblings as her father worked. The oldest daughter, Laura, had married in 1932, so most of the responsibility fell on LaVerne and her sister, Stella. To make it easier, the family lived in a house located in Roper Yard where her father worked. It was difficult times but the family remained together and did their best to care for each other.
With so many trails and tribulations, it's no wonder why LaVerne married young. She was just 18-years-old when she married a man by the name of Blaine Ole Peterson on October 25th, 1935. The relationship was not good and LaVerne experienced the most extreme hardships one could imagine. It's not known if the marriage was always that way, but eventually it turned abusive in every sense known. As time passed, LaVerne pulled away from her family and rarely were they told of the extreme circumstances LaVerne lived in. Mostly, all they knew is that LaVerne and her spouse were living a transient lifestyle, moving from hotel to hotel, and Blaine was involved in criminal behavior, dragging LaVerne into a foreign world. She wanted, desperately, to escape and began secretly saving money to achieve that goal.
Just a week and a day before she would have turned 29, LaVerne was murdered by her spouse. Like her father, she died at 28-years-old.
It was August 21st. 1946 when LaVerne's sister, Darlene, went to visit her and found her in a horrible situation. Darlene left and return with a police officer to rescue her. However, after the officer left, Blaine physically assaulted them both. They escaped to a local diner where LaVerne told her sister that she was leaving her husband. That night, LaVerne met Blaine at the Del Rio Cafe, in downtown Salt Lake City. The couple began fighting and was asked to leave. On the sidewalk, just outside the restaurant, in view of witnesses, Blaine struck LaVerne's head so hard that it fractured her neck causing her immediate death. A soldier tried to intervene but Blaine went after him as well. Blaine Peterson took LaVerne's purse, with the money she had been saving, and fled the scene of the crime. The city physician, Dr. Clarence R. Openshaw, classified LaVerne's death a homicide.
Having put out an alert for Blaine, the police were notified by a cab driver that he had picked him up and provided them with the address he was taken to. In the middle of the night, the police raided the room and found Blaine hiding under a bed and arrested him. Blaine insisted that LaVerne was drunk and was partially at fault for the fight. On November 23rd, 1946, Blaine was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. He was only sentenced to one year in the Salt Lake County Jail for this horrific crime.
LaVerne was buried in the Rasmussen family block at the Joseph City Cemetery beside her father, mother, and little brother, Erastus Jr.. The family placed a headstone of her grave, however, it remains un-inscribed to this day. The tragic events that took LaVerne's life left her family feeling the weight of loss and guilt for decades; wondering what they could have or should have done differently to get her away from the volatile relationship that took her life. LaVerne is still mourned today and her family wishes to create this memorial so her story may be told and her life never forgotten.
Twelve years after murdering LaVerne, Blaine Ole Peterson choked on his own vomit and died from a partially collapsed lung.
*NOTE: The Rasmussen family's intentions for this page is to properly memorialize LaVerne's life. Therefore, it will not be linked to the man who murdered her.
Please do not send edit requests to do so.
After her father's death, LaVerne's uncle, Otto Rasmussen Sr. (her father's brother), took on the role of caretaker to the family. Her mother, Laura LaVerne, married Otto on his 28th birthday. The day was special because Erastus passed away at 28 and Otto wanted to step in to the role as husband and father exactly where his brother left off. It was truly a tribute to a man they all loved and missed deeply.
The family lived in Sevier and Weber County before moving to Salt Lake City around 1926, when LaVerne was about 8-years-old. Her mother and step-father added four more siblings to the family for a total of 10 children combined. Like his deceased brother, Otto worked for the D & R G Railroad.
In 1930, the family experienced another loss when LaVerne's younger brother, Erastus Jr., passed away from myocarditis caused by tonsillitis. He was just 11-years-old at the time. Tragedy struck again when, in 1934, LaVerne's mother passed away from heart failure, LaVerne was only 16-years-old when she died. Her youngest siblings, twins Janet and James, were still toddlers when their mother died. It was a heartbreaking event for the entire family as Laura LaVerne left a husband and 9 children to mourn her loss.
After her mother's passing, LaVerne, being one of the oldest children, began taking on much of the household responsibilities including caring for her younger siblings as her father worked. The oldest daughter, Laura, had married in 1932, so most of the responsibility fell on LaVerne and her sister, Stella. To make it easier, the family lived in a house located in Roper Yard where her father worked. It was difficult times but the family remained together and did their best to care for each other.
With so many trails and tribulations, it's no wonder why LaVerne married young. She was just 18-years-old when she married a man by the name of Blaine Ole Peterson on October 25th, 1935. The relationship was not good and LaVerne experienced the most extreme hardships one could imagine. It's not known if the marriage was always that way, but eventually it turned abusive in every sense known. As time passed, LaVerne pulled away from her family and rarely were they told of the extreme circumstances LaVerne lived in. Mostly, all they knew is that LaVerne and her spouse were living a transient lifestyle, moving from hotel to hotel, and Blaine was involved in criminal behavior, dragging LaVerne into a foreign world. She wanted, desperately, to escape and began secretly saving money to achieve that goal.
Just a week and a day before she would have turned 29, LaVerne was murdered by her spouse. Like her father, she died at 28-years-old.
It was August 21st. 1946 when LaVerne's sister, Darlene, went to visit her and found her in a horrible situation. Darlene left and return with a police officer to rescue her. However, after the officer left, Blaine physically assaulted them both. They escaped to a local diner where LaVerne told her sister that she was leaving her husband. That night, LaVerne met Blaine at the Del Rio Cafe, in downtown Salt Lake City. The couple began fighting and was asked to leave. On the sidewalk, just outside the restaurant, in view of witnesses, Blaine struck LaVerne's head so hard that it fractured her neck causing her immediate death. A soldier tried to intervene but Blaine went after him as well. Blaine Peterson took LaVerne's purse, with the money she had been saving, and fled the scene of the crime. The city physician, Dr. Clarence R. Openshaw, classified LaVerne's death a homicide.
Having put out an alert for Blaine, the police were notified by a cab driver that he had picked him up and provided them with the address he was taken to. In the middle of the night, the police raided the room and found Blaine hiding under a bed and arrested him. Blaine insisted that LaVerne was drunk and was partially at fault for the fight. On November 23rd, 1946, Blaine was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. He was only sentenced to one year in the Salt Lake County Jail for this horrific crime.
LaVerne was buried in the Rasmussen family block at the Joseph City Cemetery beside her father, mother, and little brother, Erastus Jr.. The family placed a headstone of her grave, however, it remains un-inscribed to this day. The tragic events that took LaVerne's life left her family feeling the weight of loss and guilt for decades; wondering what they could have or should have done differently to get her away from the volatile relationship that took her life. LaVerne is still mourned today and her family wishes to create this memorial so her story may be told and her life never forgotten.
Twelve years after murdering LaVerne, Blaine Ole Peterson choked on his own vomit and died from a partially collapsed lung.
*NOTE: The Rasmussen family's intentions for this page is to properly memorialize LaVerne's life. Therefore, it will not be linked to the man who murdered her.
Please do not send edit requests to do so.
Hansena LaVerne Rasmussen, or simply "LaVerne" as she was known, was born on August 29, 1917, in Joseph, Utah, to Erastus L Rasmussen Sr. and Laura LaVerne Hunt. LaVerne was the third of six children born to her parents. At just 4-years-old, LaVerne lost her father to Typhoid fever. Her mother was pregnant with their sixth child at the time of his passing.
After her father's death, LaVerne's uncle, Otto Rasmussen Sr. (her father's brother), took on the role of caretaker to the family. Her mother, Laura LaVerne, married Otto on his 28th birthday. The day was special because Erastus passed away at 28 and Otto wanted to step in to the role as husband and father exactly where his brother left off. It was truly a tribute to a man they all loved and missed deeply.
The family lived in Sevier and Weber County before moving to Salt Lake City around 1926, when LaVerne was about 8-years-old. Her mother and step-father added four more siblings to the family for a total of 10 children combined. Like his deceased brother, Otto worked for the D & R G Railroad.
In 1930, the family experienced another loss when LaVerne's younger brother, Erastus Jr., passed away from myocarditis caused by tonsillitis. He was just 11-years-old at the time. Tragedy struck again when, in 1934, LaVerne's mother passed away from heart failure, LaVerne was only 16-years-old when she died. Her youngest siblings, twins Janet and James, were still toddlers when their mother died. It was a heartbreaking event for the entire family as Laura LaVerne left a husband and 9 children to mourn her loss.
After her mother's passing, LaVerne, being one of the oldest children, began taking on much of the household responsibilities including caring for her younger siblings as her father worked. The oldest daughter, Laura, had married in 1932, so most of the responsibility fell on LaVerne and her sister, Stella. To make it easier, the family lived in a house located in Roper Yard where her father worked. It was difficult times but the family remained together and did their best to care for each other.
With so many trails and tribulations, it's no wonder why LaVerne married young. She was just 18-years-old when she married a man by the name of Blaine Ole Peterson on October 25th, 1935. The relationship was not good and LaVerne experienced the most extreme hardships one could imagine. It's not known if the marriage was always that way, but eventually it turned abusive in every sense known. As time passed, LaVerne pulled away from her family and rarely were they told of the extreme circumstances LaVerne lived in. Mostly, all they knew is that LaVerne and her spouse were living a transient lifestyle, moving from hotel to hotel, and Blaine was involved in criminal behavior, dragging LaVerne into a foreign world. She wanted, desperately, to escape and began secretly saving money to achieve that goal.
Just a week and a day before she would have turned 29, LaVerne was murdered by her spouse. Like her father, she died at 28-years-old.
It was August 21st. 1946 when LaVerne's sister, Darlene, went to visit her and found her in a horrible situation. Darlene left and return with a police officer to rescue her. However, after the officer left, Blaine physically assaulted them both. They escaped to a local diner where LaVerne told her sister that she was leaving her husband. That night, LaVerne met Blaine at the Del Rio Cafe, in downtown Salt Lake City. The couple began fighting and was asked to leave. On the sidewalk, just outside the restaurant, in view of witnesses, Blaine struck LaVerne's head so hard that it fractured her neck causing her immediate death. A soldier tried to intervene but Blaine went after him as well. Blaine Peterson took LaVerne's purse, with the money she had been saving, and fled the scene of the crime. The city physician, Dr. Clarence R. Openshaw, classified LaVerne's death a homicide.
Having put out an alert for Blaine, the police were notified by a cab driver that he had picked him up and provided them with the address he was taken to. In the middle of the night, the police raided the room and found Blaine hiding under a bed and arrested him. Blaine insisted that LaVerne was drunk and was partially at fault for the fight. On November 23rd, 1946, Blaine was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. He was only sentenced to one year in the Salt Lake County Jail for this horrific crime.
LaVerne was buried in the Rasmussen family block at the Joseph City Cemetery beside her father, mother, and little brother, Erastus Jr.. The family placed a headstone of her grave, however, it remains un-inscribed to this day. The tragic events that took LaVerne's life left her family feeling the weight of loss and guilt for decades; wondering what they could have or should have done differently to get her away from the volatile relationship that took her life. LaVerne is still mourned today and her family wishes to create this memorial so her story may be told and her life never forgotten.
Twelve years after murdering LaVerne, Blaine Ole Peterson choked on his own vomit and died from a partially collapsed lung.
*NOTE: The Rasmussen family's intentions for this page is to properly memorialize LaVerne's life. Therefore, it will not be linked to the man who murdered her.
Please do not send edit requests to do so.
After her father's death, LaVerne's uncle, Otto Rasmussen Sr. (her father's brother), took on the role of caretaker to the family. Her mother, Laura LaVerne, married Otto on his 28th birthday. The day was special because Erastus passed away at 28 and Otto wanted to step in to the role as husband and father exactly where his brother left off. It was truly a tribute to a man they all loved and missed deeply.
The family lived in Sevier and Weber County before moving to Salt Lake City around 1926, when LaVerne was about 8-years-old. Her mother and step-father added four more siblings to the family for a total of 10 children combined. Like his deceased brother, Otto worked for the D & R G Railroad.
In 1930, the family experienced another loss when LaVerne's younger brother, Erastus Jr., passed away from myocarditis caused by tonsillitis. He was just 11-years-old at the time. Tragedy struck again when, in 1934, LaVerne's mother passed away from heart failure, LaVerne was only 16-years-old when she died. Her youngest siblings, twins Janet and James, were still toddlers when their mother died. It was a heartbreaking event for the entire family as Laura LaVerne left a husband and 9 children to mourn her loss.
After her mother's passing, LaVerne, being one of the oldest children, began taking on much of the household responsibilities including caring for her younger siblings as her father worked. The oldest daughter, Laura, had married in 1932, so most of the responsibility fell on LaVerne and her sister, Stella. To make it easier, the family lived in a house located in Roper Yard where her father worked. It was difficult times but the family remained together and did their best to care for each other.
With so many trails and tribulations, it's no wonder why LaVerne married young. She was just 18-years-old when she married a man by the name of Blaine Ole Peterson on October 25th, 1935. The relationship was not good and LaVerne experienced the most extreme hardships one could imagine. It's not known if the marriage was always that way, but eventually it turned abusive in every sense known. As time passed, LaVerne pulled away from her family and rarely were they told of the extreme circumstances LaVerne lived in. Mostly, all they knew is that LaVerne and her spouse were living a transient lifestyle, moving from hotel to hotel, and Blaine was involved in criminal behavior, dragging LaVerne into a foreign world. She wanted, desperately, to escape and began secretly saving money to achieve that goal.
Just a week and a day before she would have turned 29, LaVerne was murdered by her spouse. Like her father, she died at 28-years-old.
It was August 21st. 1946 when LaVerne's sister, Darlene, went to visit her and found her in a horrible situation. Darlene left and return with a police officer to rescue her. However, after the officer left, Blaine physically assaulted them both. They escaped to a local diner where LaVerne told her sister that she was leaving her husband. That night, LaVerne met Blaine at the Del Rio Cafe, in downtown Salt Lake City. The couple began fighting and was asked to leave. On the sidewalk, just outside the restaurant, in view of witnesses, Blaine struck LaVerne's head so hard that it fractured her neck causing her immediate death. A soldier tried to intervene but Blaine went after him as well. Blaine Peterson took LaVerne's purse, with the money she had been saving, and fled the scene of the crime. The city physician, Dr. Clarence R. Openshaw, classified LaVerne's death a homicide.
Having put out an alert for Blaine, the police were notified by a cab driver that he had picked him up and provided them with the address he was taken to. In the middle of the night, the police raided the room and found Blaine hiding under a bed and arrested him. Blaine insisted that LaVerne was drunk and was partially at fault for the fight. On November 23rd, 1946, Blaine was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. He was only sentenced to one year in the Salt Lake County Jail for this horrific crime.
LaVerne was buried in the Rasmussen family block at the Joseph City Cemetery beside her father, mother, and little brother, Erastus Jr.. The family placed a headstone of her grave, however, it remains un-inscribed to this day. The tragic events that took LaVerne's life left her family feeling the weight of loss and guilt for decades; wondering what they could have or should have done differently to get her away from the volatile relationship that took her life. LaVerne is still mourned today and her family wishes to create this memorial so her story may be told and her life never forgotten.
Twelve years after murdering LaVerne, Blaine Ole Peterson choked on his own vomit and died from a partially collapsed lung.
*NOTE: The Rasmussen family's intentions for this page is to properly memorialize LaVerne's life. Therefore, it will not be linked to the man who murdered her.
Please do not send edit requests to do so.
Inscription
No inscription - headstone was never inscribed
Gravesite Details
Gravesite located within a gated family block, containing 5 graves. The block is located on the furthest west row in the middle section.
