Obituary of Ivan Otto Rusich

Ivan Otto Rusich was born on January 9, 1928 and ascended to the next world on March 22, 2014. Ivan was born in Oakland, CA but lived in Alaska until he was in the fourth grade. Then he and his family moved to Redmond, WA. Ivan had one sister, Amelia, and one brother, Martin. His parents Steven and Neva Rusich made a living by mink fur farming. One year Ivan brought one of those minks to school for a biology class and the mink never made it back home! Ivan did very well in school, receiving several awards. The King Co. school district honored him in four separate years for being neither absent nor tardy. In 1941 Ivan won a penmanship certificate. He then received a “creative award certificate” from the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for having won the state’s 1947 feature writing contest. Ivan was not only handy with the pen but he also lettered in track and played first violin in the school’s band. He graduated from Lake Washington HS on June 4, 1947 Ivan spent two years at Washington State University (1949 and 1950) and then went on to work for the Boeing Company. He was an expeditor, serving in both the aerospace and airplane divisions. Ivan was responsible for coordinating with parts vendors and knowing which parts needed to go where during production. In other words, you wouldn’t be flying in that 737 if Ivan didn’t get the right parts to put that plane together! Ivan and his first wife had seven children to include Michael, Anthony, Neva Rose, Andrew, Daniel, Catherine, and Helen Mary. In 1985 Ivan married Lurretta (Rita) and embraced her son, Odell, into the family. Ivan was a man of strong convictions and he didn’t mince words when expressing his opinions. His wife, Rita, lovingly describes him as “stubborn” but thanks God for bringing Ivan into her life for he was a kind and loving man as well. His wife Rita, his children, his 18 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren, and all his friends mourn Ivan’s passing. He now is reunited with his sister and brother and parents. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate to your favorite charity in Ivan’s name. Funeral services will be held at the Evergreen Funeral Home on 3/26/14 at 1:00pm. The address is 4504 Broadway Everett, WA 98203