Obituary for Roscoe R. Aspley Roscoe R. Aspley Roscoe Roland Aspley of Chanhassen, MN died peacefully after a brief illness on May 21, 2018. He was 86. Rocky was born on October 12, 1931 in Manhattan, KS to Roscoe W. & Theresa C. (Helget) Aspley.
His parents owned a boarding house across the street from the Union Pacific train depot in Manhattan, KS. He loved to talk about all of the men and equipment that he saw coming through the train depot during WW2. Growing up, the rail yards and the Kansas River-bottoms were his playgrounds.
He worked as a nurse anesthetist for well over 40 years before finally retiring in 1999. Rocky met his future wife Lavonne, an RN, when they worked together at a Minot, ND hospital. In 1959, they made their home in Scottsbluff, NE until the family moved to Minnesota in 1979.
He was a patient and loving father who loved spending time with his children, grandchildren, and his pets. Rocky was an even-tempered man with a cast iron stomach. While most people eat toast or cereal for breakfast, Rocky’s favorite breakfast consisted of a can of Vienna sausages and a cup of instant coffee.
Having watched his hairline gradually recede over the years, Rocky always like to say that he truly enjoyed having less hair to comb and more face to wash as he looked in the mirror each morning. As an Army Veteran and a direct descendant of a Revolutionary War Veteran, Rocky lived life on his own terms. He once pulled a pistol on a large group of intoxicated hippies back in the early 1970’s, who were throwing rocks and using profanities in an attempt to force his family to leave a particular campground spot that they had wanted.
Without saying a word, Rocky sat the pistol on the picnic table and continued with his meal. It was the hippies who ended up leaving quietly. Rocky is survived by his wife of 59 years, Lavonne (Hungness) Aspley of Chanhassen, MN; sisters Dorothy Lukert of Topeka, KS & Marjorie Lichtenhan of Dwight, KS; daughter Susanne Aspley of Excelsior, MN; son Samuel Aspley of St. Paul, MN & grandchildren Anthony, Ariel and Ayden.
Rocky is preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Cora Rose Strosnider, all of Manhattan, KS; and a brother, George R. Aspley of Grandview, MO. Rocky’s ashes will be interred in Grandfield Lutheran Cemetery, Sheyenne, ND. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., June 1, 2018 at the Washburn-McReavy Funeral Home, 7625 Mitchell Road, Eden Prairie, MN.
Today’s Events Visitation 2018 JUN 1. 12:00 PM – 01:00 PM Eden Prairie Chapel 7625 Mitchell Road Eden Prairie, MN, US, 55344 Memorial 2018 JUN 1.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
