Ester Johnson Rasband

Ester Johnson Rasband

1936 ~ 2022

Our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend Ester Johnson Rasband, passed away on August 17, 2022. Her final days were filled with visits from family who shared their love with her and were blessed one last time by her great love for them.

Ester, spelled in Swedish style at her Swedish immigrant father’s insistence, was born on October 3, 1936, in Seattle, Washington, the tenth of ten children to John and Ivy Wallis Johnson. She grew up quite poor but happy. The Johnson family home was filled with music, laughter and centered on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which her mother had joined in England and her father had joined in Sweden. Ester inherited her mother’s unwavering faith in Jesus Christ and that faith was woven into her entire life.

She graduated from high school at 16 and headed off to Brigham Young University but soon dropped out at the urging of her college-skeptical mother. She proceeded to work in various jobs in Seattle and, after a few years, met and began dating her beloved Jim. Their courtship later moved to Washington D.C. where Ester worked as the administrative assistant to U.S. Representative Thor C. Tollefson of Washington’s 6th congressional district, beginning her lifelong interest in politics, and Jim attended medical school at George Washington University. They were married in the Church’s Los Angeles Temple. Over the next few years, they lived in Michigan (for military service), and in Salt Lake City and Seattle for a medical residency. Ester’s two sons were born in Seattle and sixteen days after Win’s birth, in 1964, the family moved to California’s Monterey Peninsula where Jim began his career as a radiologist and Esterthrew herself into Church, the community, and her family.

Ester returned to school after her marriage, attending several universities and ultimately graduating from BYU in 1973 with a degree in English, which she thereafter called the jewel in her apron pocket. She always loved literature, language, and writing. Even as a young girl, she loved to write plays, which she would sometimes then perform on her own. She later published nine books. Her book Confronting the Myth of Self Esteem: Twelve Keys to Finding Peace led to a BYU College of Humanities Honored Alumni Award. Her book, Man and Woman: Joy in Oneness, was a call for unity between husband and wife and was, in many ways, the theme of her life. She poured her heart and soul into her family—seeing the good in every effort, always being quick to forgive, and eager to mourn or rejoice with them in their tragedies and triumphs.

Ester always loved to teach the gospel, particularly to young adults. She held many teaching callings in the Church—gospel doctrine, seminary, institute—and served in all the auxiliaries. She loved nothing more than studying the scriptures and discussing what she was learning. She had a particular fondness for the Old Testament. She continued teaching weekly scriptures classes to a large group of women until shortly before her passing.

One teaching opportunity Ester particularly enjoyed was with their missionaries when she and Jim presided over the Canada, Montreal Mission. Their three years of service as mission leaders blessed their lives with rich friendships. Ester loved to talk about what all their “their missionaries” were doing.

Ester’s joyfulness was always a choice. As a young woman and then as a young mother, her energy—for friendship, for service, for callings, for education—was breathtaking and boundless. A stroke at age 40 slowed her down and then, throughout her life, she suffered from significant health challenges. And yet she remained joyful and upbeat and full of life. She was someone who made every visitor and every phone caller feel as though she had been eagerly anticipating the chance to spend time with them. All her family will miss the precious gift of her love.

Ester’s departure leaves a hole in our lives. But we look forward in faith to the time when we can be together again as a family. In the meantime, we take comfort from what must be many joyful reunions for Ester on the other side of the veil—with her parents and nine siblings (three brothers and six sisters), all of whom preceded her in death, as well as countless friends with whom she was blessed during her life.

Ester is survived by her beloved husband, James E. Rasband of Highland, Utah, and her two sons: James R. Rasband (Mary) of Tokyo, Japan and John E. (“Win”) Rasband (Kelley) of Alpine, Utah. She is also survived by her seven grandchildren, who will always love their “Grandy,” and by her five great-grandchildren.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday August 25, 2022, at the Highland Utah Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (5335 West 11200 North, Highland, Utah 84003). There will be a viewing on Wednesday evening August 24, 2022, at the Warenski Funeral Home (1776 North 900 East American Fork, Utah 84003) from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, and on Thursday morning, August 25, 2022, from 9:30 to 10:30 am, prior to the services.

Interment will take place at El Carmelo Cemetery, Pacific Grove, California. In lieu of flowers, Ester suggested that you instead take your family to dinner or dessert and have a wonderful evening filled with laughter and joy.

For those wishing to view services a zoom link has been set up at https://zoom.us/j/98424423617