Larry D. Raasch

Larry Raasch, of East Moline, IL, died unexpectedly on January 17th, 2020, in Mobile, AL, with his wife Linda and his two sons Bradley and Brian by his side. He was 82 years old.

Private interment will be Friday, September 18, at Greenview Memorial Gardens, East Moline, IL.

Larry was born on the family farm in Cass County, Iowa. He went on to a career in education, spending the majority of his career at Black Hawk College. He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, traveling, and playing bridge.

Larry went to high school at the Cumberland Independent School, serving as class president his Senior year. He graduated as valedictorian in 1955 with a class size of 13. Larry went to college at the University of Northern Iowa, graduating in 1959 with a major in Business Education.

He met Lucille Evans while at UNI, and they were married in 1960. They both completed their Masters degrees in 1963 at the University of Northern Colorado.

His first teaching position was in Oakland, Iowa, in the Fall of 1959. He and Lucy moved to Harlan in 1963, and in the Fall of 1966 he moved his family to start as a Professor at Black Hawk College in Moline, IL. Through the years his department went from being called Business Information Systems to Business, Computer, and Engineering Technology. He achieved the role of Department Chair prior to taking early retirement in July 1995. He remained teaching at Black Hawk as an adjunct from the Fall of 1995 to the Fall of 2001.

Larry was also a Test Administrator for the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) for over 40 years, managing the Palmer College testing site in Davenport, Iowa. He was one of the longest tenured NBCE employees, with the Palmer College site consistently achieving top metrics. The Davenport site was also one of the first in the nation to incorporate practical exams in addition to the written exams for Chiropractic licensure.

Bradley was born in Harlan, Iowa, and Brian in Moline, IL. Bradley currently resides in Solon, Iowa, with his sons Preston and Zander. Brian lives in Fountain Valley, California with his wife Thuy. Lucy died in 1993 after a hard fought battle with cancer.

Larry and Linda were married in 1999, and spent the next 20+ years traveling and enjoying their retirement years.

Larry was a wonderful husband to Lucy and Linda, an amazing father to Bradley and Brian, and an incredible grandfather for Sidnee, Brian Jr., Preston, and Zander. He was very thoughtful and giving, and was always there when you needed him.

Larry was preceded in death by his wife Lucy Raasch, his sisters Virginia Kloppenburg and Iona Scott, and parents Arthur and Gladys Raasch. He is survived by his wife Linda, brother Wayne (Vera) Raasch, his children Bradley and Brian (Thuy), four grandchildren, four great grandchildren, and Linda’s children Theresa and Patrick Shay.

Larry was a firm believer in the power of education to empower and uplift individuals, and lived his life demonstrating that belief. Memorials may be made to the Larry Raasch Memorial Scholarship, which is administered by the Black Hawk College Foundation (blackhawkcollegefoundation.org) and dedicated to help prospective students achieve their goals; or the Friends of the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama. Please no flowers or plants.