Loris Elden Asmussen, 94, of Tifton passed away Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at Legacy Village in Tifton surrounded by his loving family. A graveside funeral service will be held for Mr. Asmussen at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Tift Memorial Gardens, where he will be laid to rest. The family will receive friends on Friday, October 23, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals.
He was born December 30, 1931, in Simpson, Kansas, Mr. Asmussen was the son of the late Carl Charlie Asmussen (born April 23, 1893) and Edith Lilian “Dee” McKee Asmussen (they married on January 8, 1923). In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Darlene Becker Asmussen, who passed away July 21, 2026; and one daughter-in-law, Angela Asmussen.
He attended Sunnyside Country School with thirteen students until the fifth grade. He moved to Glasco, Kansas Rural School and graduated high school in 1949. He enrolled in Kansas State in 1949 and received a B.S. degree in Geology in 1954. He was drafted in 1954 by Army Signal Corps, serving eight years, two years active duty and six years active reserve. He returned to Glasco, Kansas in 1956, custom combining for several years from Texas to North Dakota. He met Darlene Becker, married and had three children, Julie, Loris, and Lon. In 1958, he went to Vanderbilt University for one quarter, returned to harvesting before moving to North Dakota. There, he got a job at USDA and then transferred to Oxford, Mississippi, where he helped start the United States Department of Agricultural Sediment Transport (ARS, USDA). While in Oxford, he had the opportunity to work on Aztec Inca Maya and attended the University of California and Penn State.
He transferred to the U. S. Forest Service in Rapid City, South Dakota for two years. A watershed engineering position opened in Athens, Georgia and Tifton, Georgia. He chose the Tifton position and remained there until his retirement in the early 90s. He conducted research in Coastal Plains in the Southeast, developing parametric and statistics models. He spent 50 years in agricultural engineering management, having several students assigned from Iran, the University of Moscow, Israel, China, and South Africa. He had the opportunity to work low-land hydraulic symposium in Argentina. While in South American, he visited Chile, Peru, and Ecuador, and met German Waffenarnt and Russian soldiers, who fought at the Battle of Stalingrad.
After retiring, he went to work at the Walmart Pharmacy, driving and delivering medication for approximately ten years. While in Tifton, he served as a Scout master for Troup #62 for fifteen years. He enjoyed having numerous Eagle Scouts to take fishing, camping, canoeing and on hiking trails. He was a member of Tifton’s First Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Asmussen is survived by two sons and one daughter-in-law, Loris Carl Asmussen of Okeechobee, Florida and Lon and Bridgette Asmussen of Enigma; one daughter, Julie Anne Asmussen of Tifton; four grandchildren, Matthew Chase Asmussen, Savannah Kylie Asmussen, Emily Raye Higgs and Joseph Logan Asmussen; and two great-grandchildren, Laekyn Michele Rhodes and Bentley Logan Asmussen.
The family is thankful for the loving care that Mr. Asmussen received at Legacy Village in Tifton.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Tifton’s First Presbyterian Church, P. O. Box 304, Tifton, GA 31793; or Eternal Faith Hospice, 126 Access Road, Chula, GA 31733.