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Norval Leroy Rasmussen, M.D., 78, of Morgantown, died Sunday, August 23, 2026, after a prolonged illness.
He was born in Laramie, Wyo., April 18, 1948, the oldest of three sons of the late Leroy Henry Rasmussen and Mary Dorothy Milburn Rasmussen.
His father worked in agricultural development for USAID, and the family left Wyoming when Norval was 10; he grew up in Algeria, Tunisia, the Congo, and France. He graduated from Dreux American High School, where he wrestled and where he met Barbara Elizabeth Wickline. They married in 1970.
He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in April 1967, trained as a cryptographic equipment repairman, and served in Vietnam. He was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal, and was discharged honorably in January 1971 as a Sergeant. He rarely spoke about any of it.
He earned his medical degree at the West Virginia University School of Medicine and practiced in Morgantown for 36 years. His patients called him the best physician they ever had.
He was a master carpenter and could drive a nail in four strokes. He faceted gemstones, gardened, cooked, and played bridge. He was a celebrated philatelist and won several juried prizes for his exhibits. He kept a parrot named Francois for 20 years.
In the 1980s he ran cattle on a farm in Barbour County that was recognized by the Soil Conservation Service; from the late 1980s on he kept a farm in Preston County, where he taught two generations of Morgantown children to fish and shoot. He led his son's Cub Scout pack, his daughter's Brownie troop, and the South Park Stars 4-H club.
The family remains ever grateful for the skillful care he received at WVU Hospitals and the Department of Neurosurgery, The Ohio State University Acute Care Surgery Service, Dodd Rehabilitation Hospital at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Mayfair Rehabilitation Center of Columbus, and the Cotter House of Worthington.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his daughter, Sara Kirsten Rasmussen and her husband, Julian Cheslock of Columbus, Ohio; his son, Christopher Jorgen Rasmussen and his wife, Renee LeFebure Rasmussen of Cromwell, Conn.; and six grandchildren: Milo Daz Cieslak, Gareth Eli Milburn Cheslock, Xavier James Rasmussen, Vanessa Quinn Rasmussen, Rhys Siobhan Kennedy Cheslock, and Zoe Charlotte Rasmussen.
Friends and family will be received in Hastings Funeral Home, 153 Spruce Street, Morgantown, Friday, September 18, from 4 to 6 p.m. Visitation will continue in the funeral home Saturday, September 19, from 2 until the time of the memorial service at 3 p.m., with the Rev. Zac Morton officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation at mcsf.org, which provides scholarships to the children of veterans; or to The Trevor Project at thetrevorproject.org, which works to prevent suicide among LGBTQ+ youth. Both causes touched his life and his family directly.
Send condolences at www.hastingsfuneralhome.com