Jane Rasmussen
(1951 - 2012)

"This is the memorial I set up for Jane Rasmussen. To sign the guest book, click on the "Sign Guest Book" button below. "

"To my sweet sister and good friend, you are loved and will be missed."

"To Jane, my sister in arms whom I've always loved and inspired by! I miss you terribly!!!"

"Dear Jane, you touched the hearts of everyone you brought into your circle! Thank you for your gift of friendship! You always thought of me, Karl, and the girls. We miss sharing cheese, wine, laughs, and the #1 Ladiies' Detective Agency with you!!! We miss you loads!! "

"To Jane, we had many good times together when we were both in Berkeley in the late 19070s/early 1980s and pregnant and having our kids. I remember lying around in my little house, very pregnant with my oldest daughter just talking, laughing, and fantasizing about our futures as moms and social justice lawyers. You lived life to the fullest. Taken far far too soon. Lots of love, Patty"

"I came to your home today with deep grief. I wish to express my mourning for your passing away! You have made many contributions for the people throughout the world, so I surely believe you live happily in the heaven! As you have known, I have been doing research in cooperation with your father for over ten years. I have benefited a lot from his knowledge, experience and excellent personality. Your nice and happy family has deep impressed me, and your photos told me more about you and your family. Have a peaceful and happy life in the heaven! "

"Jane was a gifted and courageous friend. She was a rare woman of valor, who made a difference in the world we live in. "

"To Jane, who lived her life with commitment, strength and passion for the things she believed in and the people she loved. I am writing this message from the Johannesburg Airport at the end of a few weeks traveling in southern Africa on a vacation trip. Jane came to Africa too, more than once, but she was here for much more difficult work than I am and I salute her for that. I remember the summer of 1983, when she and I and a number of other Bay Area human rights folks did the summer session in Strasbourg. I remember particularly well the lovely visit with her in St. Gengoux and Sergey in 2010. Jane loved good food and good wine, good books, her family and friends. She loved life and fought hard for all the time she had. Jane, I will miss you a lot."

"I think what I miss most, and remember most, about Jane was her determined optimism. She took on powerful people and forces, she fought with bureaucrats of all stripes, she defended women, refugees and kids with equal vigor, but she was always sure that justice would win out in the end. She made a real difference in the world - UN peacekeepers and local predators can't do what they want to young girls quite as easily because of her.
Plus Jane was a lot of fun. We went tango dancing in Buenos Aires, went to see wild gorillas in Rwanda, and went shopping in New York -- she did it all with great enthusiasm and a "can-do" spirit. I miss her a lot. "

"Jane died too soon, too young. And yet, she packed so much into her lifetime. She lived with intensity, with purpose, with vigor. Her focus on making the world a more just and humane place never wavered. Jane made her life matter.

I know she will be deeply missed; my heart goes out to her family."

"Dear Jane,
I met you shortly after your diagnosis five years ago. In that time, I observed in you a profile of courage. As you battled this dreaded disease, you showed us strength of spirit with your determination, acceptance and then resolve of your fate. You were not given length of years, but as we move forward in our lives without you physically with us, we have your indomitable spirit around us. We will better appreciate the colors and shapes of flowers, and listen and observe the wind blowing through the trees just as you spoke about them during your better days of the illness. So, as we hold fondly your spirit, we remember the old Irish blessing: "May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back…and until we meet again may God hold you in the palm of His Hand."
With love,
Patrice
"

" Dearest John,Louise,Juan,Nancy,David,Stephen, and famıly, you are ın our thoughts and prayers at thıs tıme. Although your hearts must be heavy, your lovıng, gentle support of Jane throughout her ıllness was ınspıratıonal and beautıful for us all to observe from Geneva. Jane could not have passed ın a more dıgnıfıed and lovıng space. Thank you Anton for beıng present.

Dear Jane,

We love you and mıss you. Thank you for beıng such a great spırıt throughout our journey together wıth the fırst human rıghts mıssıon wıth the UN from Rwanda to Geneva. It was a joy to have learned from you as well as shared those horrıd outdated Belgıan ratıons and endured the bone chıllıng showers on the Goma border. The delıghts of sharıng St Gengoux wıth you and your tımely tales and wısdom on motherhood were the perfect compensatıon.

We look forward to your dıvıne spark reappearıng wıth the ımpendıng bırth of your grandchıld. Such ıs the cycle of lıfe.
Good luck Janelle and Juan.

Love and Lıght

Carolıne Hunt Matthes and Famıly, Au cheval de Boıs, France

PS I wıll contınue my walk along the camıno ın your memory.


"

"My heartfelt condolences to the Rasmussens, and all who were touched by Jane's life."

"Jane was just an amazing woman! She was someone who inspired with her passion, her smile and her deep, deep sense of what is good and decent. We will miss her and her bread from St Gengoux and our shared breakfasts. Her sense of fun, her intelligence and unending good humour, despite all that she had to deal with.
She taught Sasha the joys of saying "Yes" with the rush of the thumb to confirm it! We all still do it..and every time we do we will remember her. Jane, we salute you and your life! We love you. Madeleine, Yuia and Sasha "

"I have not had the opportunity to see Jane in quite a few years, but I know some of her work and I know that Jane lived her short life with a commitment to make the lives of those in need better. Her commitment and accomplishments were considerable. For her life we give thanks. Truly the world needs a lot more JANES.

Evelyn "

"I woke up with a sad feeling today and realized it has been 1 month since your passing. I am wishing love and white light, and looking forward to seeing you on the other side,

Love,

Dave"

"Jane was a fabulous friend and an amazing human rights activist. I’ve known her since 1983, when Juan was little and she was working to raise funds to support human rights work in Chile. I had just finished law school (Jane had graduated from Boalt a few years ahead of me) and was focused on learning international human rights law and mechanisms. Jane dove into one of the most serious and dangerous human rights situations in the Americas at the time, recognizing that she could most usefully support activists on the front lines in Chile with her physical presence, legal skills, street smarts, and fundraising.

Jane was one of the first lawyers to sign up to work for the UN in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. I visited her in Kigali in mid-1995. The trauma of the genocide was still raw and largely undocumented, the violence was still very much on-going. Jane was fearless, traveling around in her white truck monitoring violations, meeting with people, writing reports and pushing the UN to do all that it could to protect the survivors and bring perpetrators to justice. Though deeply affected by the country’s trauma, she was a pillar of strength to Rwandans in the areas for which she was responsible.

I overlapped with Jane in Bosnia in 1998 when she started a multi-year stint as a UN rule of law officer, often under incredibly frustrating circumstances, to strengthen the capacity of the courts.

One of Jane’s most challenging assignments was to serve in 2004-05 as Personnel Conduct Officer for the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). MONUC had been plagued since its establishment in 1999 by allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, including of girls as young as 13 in the displaced persons camps, by civilian and military personnel, but until Jane arrived, there had been no serious investigations. Jane quickly swung into action and succeeded in motivating several in-depth investigations as well as prosecutions. You can read one of her reports here: http://www.peacekeepingbestpractices.unlb.org/PBPS/Library/MONUC%20SEA%20EOA-Rasmussen%20%2825-02-05%29.pdf.

A friend, a UN employee who had been sexually harassed by a UN top military officer, told me how incredibly supportive Jane had been. Jane pursued her complaint with professionalism and tenacity, managing to trigger disciplinary action while keeping my friend’s identity confidential. It was one of my friend’s worst times of her life. She will forever be grateful to Jane.

Jane, you live on in the hearts of those whose lives you touched, many of us profoundly. The world is a smaller place without you. I think of you frequently, your vivid stories, told with wry humor, of all that you’ve witnessed, the frustrations, the heroic people, the occasional breatkthroughs. As I tell friends about you, I find out how many people knew you as a friend or just by reputation. You are deeply missed.

With huge love, respect, and sadness,

Sandy
"

"Dear Rasmussen Family:

Thank you for including me in your family brunch in June. I appreciated the chance to visit with Jane. We had a good talk. I also appreciate Nancy's keeping me posted on Jane's condition afterward. I had hoped to visit Jane again before she passed. I have thought of her every day since.

Jane and I met in the early 1990's when she hired on as an attorney at the State Department of Industrial Relations. We became fast friends at work. In our personal lives we supported each other as single parents of young children.

Jane's positive attitude and vibrant personality were forces in the world. Her considerable intellect and enthusiasm were second to none. I was disappointed when, inevitably, she left state government and answered her calling for the more exotic life of an international human rights attorney.

When Jane and I last spoke in the family's lovely garden, she acknowledged that in her 60 years she had lived more fully than most. She said she did not fear death; she feared only suffering and indignity. I'm sure she was grateful for the short and rapid end stage of her life.

During our last conversation, Jane told me how much she appreciated and loved her parents and family for the comfort and care you all provided her at what she called her "little Berkeley resort." As she had many times in her life, she expressed her respect and gratitude for the important role her parents played in Juan's upbringing.

Please know that Jane was loved and well-respected by her friends. We will miss her always and never forget her as a part of the rich fabric of our lives.

Vanessa Holton

"

"Dearest Jane,
I can't believe you're really gone-and that you're not there for a phone call or email or skype to catch up on life, job, family, men, friends, the latest adventure etc, etc. We've been doing that for 13 years - since 1998 when we met in Bosnia both working for that UN JSAP program. You'll remember we got together in Sarajevo as the only "western" women of a certain age in that JSAP group, shared our first of many rooms together in that awful hotel which doubled as a brothel (with the evidence in the room to prove it) and you saved my life by giving me a Power bar to eat. It was the start of a beautiful, true, honest and pure friendship that lasted until you died on July 17. On that day, I was driving back from Beirut to Damascus-I had that job as head of the human rights team in the small UN mission inside Syria which we had talked about-and while driving in the still magnificent Syria landscape I had the most vivid and intense thoughts and memories of you, and in those moments I knew I was saying good bye to you. A few days earlier, Sandy had emailed me and Madeleine and told us that your condition had deteriorated, you had gone into the hospital but were back home now and that it was not good. So I was thinking about you a lot and when I got back to Damascus that night, the email was there saying you had died. It was a fitting tribute to you,I thought, that I had spent the day of your death in Beirut meeting groups of mostly young and extremely brave human rights activists from inside Syria who had managed to get out for a few days to share info, tell of the horrific abuses going on in their areas and discussing what could be done about it. You would have been moved, angered and saddened but given them great advice about how to properly document human rights violations, apply the right law, do certain types of advocacy etc etc. You were always so committed to fighting abuse and injustice wherever it happened or by whomever was doing it. I loved and deeply admired you for that.
I also want to share with you a poem-a Gabei- which is a literary form of Somali poetry-in recognition of your years working on Africa, in Yemen and other such places. The poem has been deeply meaningful for me for many years as a way of saying good bye to dear friends and family or of marking a new phase in their lives. So it is fitting that I share it with you now:
"Now you depart, and though your way may lead through airless forests thick with 'hhagar trees, places steeped in heat, stifling and dry,
where breath comes hard, and no fresh breeze can reach-may Allah place a shield of coolest air between your body and the assailant sun.
And in a random scorching flame of wind that parches the painful throat and sears the flesh, may Allah, in His compassion, let you find the great-boughed tree that will protect and shade.
On every side of you, I now would place prayers from the Holy Qoran, to bless your path, that ills may not descend, nor evils harm, and that you may travel in the peace of faith.
To all the blessings I bestow on you, Friend, yourself, now say a last Amen."
Dearest Jane, I celebrate your life, I celebrate your spirit, I celebrate your love. I celebrate your friendship. I celebrate you. You are with me forever.
Georgette
Kabul, Afghanistan
September 21, 2012
"

"When I heard of Jane's passing, I cried and felt Jane's spirit here with me, hovering and supportive, as she crossed over.

I am happy for her life; sad for me. I am not happy to let her go. I did not know Jane so very well, and only got to understand her essence when I learned she was quietly championing my struggle with top UN management.

More recently, as Jane's days drew to a close, connections with other, special UN colleagues also close to her (based in Geneva) brought very vibrant connections around La Clef d'Or (which is also the Red Vine), an ancient symbol for the pure power of the sacred female.

As a result, I knew to find a way to contact Jane in California - to say hello and goodbye.

I feel like that pure power of the sacred female connected Jane to me, and probably to many others. She seemed a fine example of warm, bright feminine wisdom and power. And I felt Jane also understood the importance of respecting and balancing female and male, mixing love, power, connection, nurturing, building, protecting.

I will miss Jane terribly. I am so glad I ever got to know her and bask in her light.

Yes, we were so fortunate to know and work with her. "

"As we proceed into the new year we realize how much we lost in the last. We love you and miss you. Wishing you all the best with much white light,

Love,

Dave

PS-(Your granddaughter is beautiful)"

"Dear Jane's family and friends:

I’m in Budapest for a week of internal meetings. I’ve been working to develop (with many others) a set of global principles (based on international and national good law and practice) on whistle-blower protections. I’ve been thinking of Jane a lot and the amazing contribution that she made in this area, both in developing international standards and in applying them with courage in situations fraught with intimidation.

I wish I could ask her questions and invite her ideas. She had so many real life experiences on which to draw, and I greatly valued her judgment, compassion and instincts, including regarding how to obtain remedies within cultures burdened by favouritism and old-boy cronyism.

It was such a pleasure to meet Lauren Elizabeth and spend an even with your family. What a happy, radiant new life. It is wonderful how Jane’s spirit lives on.

With lots of love,

Sandy
"

"peregrina cara,
last week, i found the photo of us taken in chile, on the trip that inspired me to write many bad novels. so i webbed the net and found not your bright persona, but your dark shadow. love, kiwito (small, flightless bird)

"

"Ran across a photo from Rwanda...and the photo had what looked possibly like Jane. Her name came to me in a flash, which surprised me, because I was a military observer who worked with Jane only for several months one one mission in Rwanda in 1994 in Cyangugu prefecture. I thought, I wonder where she is today?...how saddened I am to find out she has moved on over two years ago.
Jane... you must have given me a little tap on the shoulder today to find you and say hello... I appreciate that. Thank you."

"Jane was my friend for over 25 years. There are not words sufficient to capture the vastness of her compassion, intellect, kindness, depth, and desire to combat injustice where ever she saw it. She touched my life in ways too numerous to list. I look around and see little pieces of her in books that she gave to me. She will live in my heart forever. She touched the lives of so many,and the world is a better place for her having been here. I hope to see her again on the other side.... My deepest love and respect. Susan Cieutat
"

"I was driving past Red Bluff the other day, chatting with my wife (who was in my class at Boalt and knew Jane only by sight) about Jane and your wonderful family. She Googled Jane to see where her life-long commitment to justice had taken her recently. I am shocked by her death. She was first a girl, and then a woman, of extraordinary strength and moral clarity. It was an honor to know her, and to know your family. "

"Jane, you were an inspiration to me when we were both young women. I don't know if you ever knew it.
Now, many years later, I have come to know your mother and father,. There are no words to describe how much all your family misses you.

Your spirit lives on in so many ways - through your work, your son, your granddaughters, your work colleagues. Well done!

All my love,
Miriam"

"I'm glad you were able to live the meaningful life you wanted, as an international human rights lawyer. Rest in peace."

"Most well remembered, Jane.

It was shocking to learn that you had passed on. I always envisaged you becoming a great grandmother. I remember our happy, sometimes frustrating times in Buenos Aires.

We spent many good week-ends, walking, enjoying yummy meals and going to the flicks. We were a good mutual support system.

We were mugged in La Boca in August 2000.

You had a health scare, came to my office shell- shocked with the terrible news. and then did not answer your phone. I went to your place and was relieved that you were as well as could be, but just 'cocooning'.

Then helped you sort and pack, and you left for Yemen. I missed you but knew you were going on to a better professional and personal life.

Now, all I can say is that for the short time we shared you were a good friend, exemplary professional, but above all one of a kind in your commitment to the disenfranchised of this world. Your light shines on.

Que descanses en Paz.

Un enorme abrazo. A

"

" I knew you, Blaze, Prince, and Nancy when we were young. I wish I had known you when we were grown. I was hoping to know you now that we are getting old and I'm very sorry that I didn't. Love from Lee and all the Shelties I have loved since Nina."