Joan Rosean Asson

Feb. 15, 1953 - May 4, 2022

Date of Service: May 12, 2022

Joan Rosean Asson EAGLE – Joan Asson, age 69, of Eagle, Idaho, and formerly of the Mini-Cassia area, died in the early hours of Wednesday, May 4, 2022, at her home in Eagle. Joan valiantly fought and suffered through a seven year bout with incurable Interstitial Pneumonitis.

Joan was born in Rupert, to Russell Ernest and Freida Helene Dockter Jacobsen, on Feb. 15, 1953. Many residents of Rupert will recall that Russell was the official Santa Claus in Rupert for many years.

The Jacobsen’s already had three daughters, the youngest being 11 years older than Joan. A fifth child was added to the family in 1955, their first boy, Mark.

Joan graduated from Minico High School in 1971 and started her family during the following years bearing two children, a boy and a girl. In 1977 she had become a single mother with little training or financial support. Ultimately, she found employment with Bonanza Motors in auto reconditioning work that at the time was a man’s job.

Joan proved herself a valuable, hard working individual and in less than a year, she was advanced to the job of Warranty Claims Clerk in the Automotive Repair Dept. another job more often done by men with mechanical knowledge. Joan was regularly advanced to more important jobs until finally advancing to Financial Manager for the Sales Department. Joan was employed for Bonanza Motors for 20 years during which time she gave birth to a third child, a boy.

In 1997, Joan was excited to find employment with the Mini-Cassia Chamber of Commerce as its Executive Director. During the following six years she was instrumental in increasing the membership of the Chamber by several hundred businesses located in the many towns in the Mini-Cassia area of influence.

In 1998, Joan married Gary Asson on the top of Mount Baldy high above Ketchum where they often enjoyed skiing.

In 2003, Joan retired from the Chamber of Commerce and moved to Eagle, Idaho with her husband Gary Asson. In Eagle, she became heavily involved with The Assistance League of Boise, a sorority of retired professional and businesswomen who work together to raise money for the underprivileged.

Joan and Gary enjoyed travel and visited Italy and Europe several times. Gary’s family in Italy adopted Joan as a genuine Italian. Later, a DNA test confirmed she had 1.3% Italian blood. The couple also enjoyed traveling with family and friends to the west coast to Oregon and to the east coast to North Carolina, as well as a cruise to Alaska.

In later years she kept very busy with cross stitching, crocheting, and quilting. Many of her grandchildren, nieces, and nephews value a beautiful afghan blanket made by Joan.

Joan was preceded in death by her parents; her sisters, Janice Pratt and Jerry Loosli; and her stepson, Scott Asson.

Joan is survived by and greatly missed by her husband, Gary; her children, Eric (Melissa) Vibbert, Andrea (Aaron) Fernau, and Jacob (Skye) Aldridge; her grandchildren, Drake Vibbert, Eric Vibbert Jr., Landon Vibbert, Alyssa Maxwell, Nathan (Kate) Fernau, Shalynn (Albert Krakowski) Fernau, Elliott Aldridge, and Emilia Aldridge; her great-grandchildren, Vincent Fernau and Kaiden May; her sister, Carol Ryan and her brother, Mark (Jody) Jacobsen; and by her six stepchildren and 17 step great-grandchildren.

The funeral will be held at 2p.m. Thursday, May 12, 2022, at Rasmussen-Wilson Funeral Home, located at 1350 East 16th Street, in Burley. Burial will follow at the Rupert Cemetery.

A visitation for family and friends will be held from 12 noon to 1:45 p.m. Thursday, prior to the service at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations be made to the St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital a charity Joan donated to often.

Donations can be made online at: www.stlukesonline.org/about-st-lukes/donate-or-volunteer