An evening of honors

On September 13, it seemed nearly all of Carbon County had gathered at the Jeffrey Memorial Center in Rawlins for the Carbon County Economic Development Corporation’s (CCEDC) annual dinner and fundraiser.

Throughout the night, CCEDC Director Yvonne Johnson could be seen floating around the room as she greeted guests from Rawlins, the Platte Valley, the Little Snake River Valley and the Hanna, Elk Mountain and Medicine Bow areas. It wasn’t hard to spot Johnson who, beside her large smile, wore a bright red dress once owned by her late friend Patty Haigh.

“The one thing I can tell you is this event has been dreamed up and is a concoction of one special person,” said Copper France, CCEDC President. “I think we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize this individual for all her tireless efforts in bringing Carbon County together and trying to make Carbon County a better place.”

Johnson fought back tears as she was greeted with a standing ovation.

While it was a night to recognize the accomplishments of the CCEDC, there was one special presentation which warranted the second standing ovation of the evening. In attendance the night of the event were Jim and Mary Penland, owners of Rasmussen Furniture in Rawlins.

“Nine years before Wyoming became a state, the Rasmussen family opened a little mortuary on Front Street. Little did they know they were building a Carbon County legacy, a family-run business that would meet its community’s needs in a variety of ways for over 143 years,” said France. “A place of almost unheard of consistency, they ran that little mortuary on Front Street for years and then expanded operations when they moved to 316 W. Cedar Street. Then they would offer services both to the living and the recently deceased as they started pedaling furniture along with the coffins they would bring up via the old coal elevator which can still be found to this day in the back of Rasmussen Furniture”

The Rasmussen Family owned the furniture business—eventually moving away from the mortuary sciences—up until 1971 when they sold it to Harold and Elizabeth Penland, who would become only the second owners of the cornerstone downtown business.

“It was within the nooks and crannies of his parents’ new store that James Penland embarked on his own scavenger hunts exploring all the nuts and bolts that any house can use,” said France. “Over the years, Jim had become so good at figuring out how to make any piece of furniture defy erroneous measurements and fixing the unfixable that he slowly replaced every service technician and delivery man except for Julian Montoya.”

Jim would eventually be joined by his high school sweetheart and wife, Mary. Since 1993, the couple have continued the dedicated customer service first provided by the Rasmussen Family nearly 150 years ago.

As the nearly packed room stood to applaud the Penlands, both Jim and Mary fought back tears.

“The work these two put in behind the scenes and dedication they have to this county is truly unmatched,” said France. “Their love for this community runs through their blood.”