Debra Carolyn Van Tassel
Monday, August 18, 1952
Date of Death:
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Age:
65 years old
Visitation
Date: Friday January 05, 2018
Time: 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home [ view map ]
Second Visitation
Date: Saturday January 06, 2018
Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Location: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church [ view map ]
Memorial Service
Date: Saturday January 06, 2018
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church [ view map ]
Monday, August 18, 1952
Date of Death:
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Age:
65 years old
Monday, August 18, 1952
Date of Death:
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Age:
65 years old
Debra Carolyn Van Tassel
Debra C. Van Tassel, 65, of Rochester passed away peacefully Sunday, December 17, 2017 at her residence surrounded by family after a five year battle with cancer.
Debra was born August 18, 1952 in Wisconsin Rapids, WI to Kenneth and Joyce (McCallum) Korn. On October 30, 1971 she married Todd A. Van Tassel and moved to Rochester. In 1972, Debra started working at the Mayo Clinic in Medical Records and moved to Human Resources in 1976. In 1981, she started working in the Internal Medicine Residency Program and became supervisor in 1998. During her time in the residency program, she served with six program directors, 60 chief residents, and welcomed 2,376 residents into the program. On December 17, 2014, she retired after almost 43 years of service.
Debra enjoyed boating, camping with her husband, and most of all spending time with her four grandchildren.
Survivors include her husband, Todd; two children, Kent (Lori) Van Tassel of Rochester and Kari (Jim) Harbaugh of Pine Island; four grandchildren, Aubrey, Kennadi, Jaxon and Avery; and one sister, Judy Kamin of Madison, WI. She is preceded in death by her parents.
A memorial service will be at 11:00 am Saturday, January 6, 2018 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church with Pastor Charles Ortloff officiating. Visitation will be held from 5:00pm to 8:00pm on Friday, January 5, 2018 in the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home and one hour to the service at the church on Saturday.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Rochester.
Condolences
The family of Debra Carolyn Van Tassel has received the following condolences.
I’m so sorry to hear about your loss and would like to extend my condolences .
2 Corinthians 1;3:4. 3.Praised be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort,4. Who comforts us in all our trials, so that we may be able to comfort others, in any sort of trial with the comfort we receive from God.
I have lost a great friend; the first for me. I cannot begin to share all that she meant to me. She was a trusted friend, valued co-worker/supervisor, and a great wife, mother, and grandmother. We worked together through some tough times in my life, and she was always there to listen and give thoughtful, considerate advice. Life will not be the same without her. I will choose to remember her laugh, the admiration and love she had for her family and friends, and especially the time with her grandchildren. There are not many like her in this world. My heartfelt sympathy to her family.
Thinking of you all~ had a lot of good times and laughs, memories I will always remember. Deb, you got to the game first...save me a seat on the bleachers. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
I am at a loss for words in many ways. This is sad and a tragic loss, far too young. But I know her suffering is over and she is able to be at peace. I was my honor and great joy to work closely with her when she was involved in the Mayo Internal Medicine Residency program. I remember her as unflappable. Even in the most stressful situations, she could muster a smile, or come into my office and we would vent a little. She battled this disease with great inner strength and while in the end the cancer won, it did not take her spirit or her bravery.
Deb, I will miss you. Denise
Debbie served as the lead secretary in the Internal Medicine Residency Administration office continuously for over 30 years, and for six different directors. She was beloved by the over 2000 residents for whom she was responsible over these years. She managed incredibly complex administrative challenges with enthusiasm and a sense of humor. She found ways to "make things work" even with seemingly impossible challenges. She never lost site the ultimate output of our work -- helping us train the best doctors possible.
On a personal side she was always warm, genuine, joyful, and caring. It was one of the great privileges of my career to work with her for 15 years. She will be missed dearly but never forgotten.
Henry Schultz