Vera L. Rastopsoff

Vera Louise Rastopsoff was born and raised on a small island called Ahkiok, off Kodiak, Alaska, where her mother, Phyllis Peterson, had also given birth to Vera's other siblings. Vera was the second youngest of 8 children, with four sisters and three brothers. Vera's Nationality is 100% Aleut. She grew up in Ahkiok until her mother was turned into Social Services for having to many children. Vera and her Brother Nick ended up in a lovely foster home where she met her foster parents, Dave and Ingrid Cook. For several years Vera lived with the Cook Family, They went on mission trips, and Vera attended the Special Olympics.

Once Vera Finished high school and got her high school diploma at Kodiak. The Cook family took all the foster children to Disney Land during the summer in California. They soon found out that the reasoning behind the surprise trip was to let each of the children know that Dave and Ingrid Cook were no longer going to foster, and that Vera and her brother nick would be placed into another foster family. It wasn't long after the switch into the new foster home, that Vera ran away because she didn't like the new foster home.

Several years later Vera had found a boyfriend, who was a fisherman named Kenny. Vera Became fond of Kenny very quickly and soon after, Kenny promised to take Vera with him from Kodiak down to Oak Harbor, Washington. From there Kenny took Vera up to Forks, Washington, to visit Kenny's parents. Vera met Kenny's parents David and Leona Wind for the first time. For several years Vera was into drinking heavily through-out her teens, but there came a point in her life where she felt she wanted to improve her life and stop drinking. So she went to David and Leona and asked them for help. David was an AA counselor and he found a Rehabilitation center in Puyallup, Washington. Vera was very scared and shy around new people, but Leona told her she could do this with the help of God. So shy Vera accepted the help and entered into rehab, where she thrived. She met people in rehab and started to break her shell of being shy. A few months went by and she was released from Rehab a Sober Young Lady.

After rehab treatment Vera found new hope and new beginnings. When Vera Turned 22 she found out that she was pregnant with a boy. So after quitting alcohol and wanting to start a new life, she knew where her life was headed. At age 23 she gave birth to her wonderful son, James Nicolas Rastopsoff, on November 1, 1986 at Tacoma General Hospital. After James was born Vera mad the choice to move up to a small Dutch town called Lynden, Washington.

Vera and her son James remained in Lynden, Washington until 2006. Where they eventually moved into Bellingham Washington where Vera was more closer to all of her Doctors appointments here in Bellingham. Several more years went by before Vera's health took a huge turn for the worst. Vera's son James woke up one morning on July 13th 2011, he found his mother unconscious on the living room couch, with the back patio sliding glass door wide open, and Vera's slippers and reading glasses out by her sitting chair on the patio. James quickly called 911 and they rushed her to the ER. Thinking an overdose may have led to her unconsciousness, they ran some lab results. But James gave the doctors some vital information about how he found his mother's stuff on the patio, and the sliding glass door was wide open, suggesting to the doctors that his mother may have taken a fall. They looked at her head and saw some bruises and quickly did a MRI scan, and found a blood clot. Vera was prepped for brain surgery and the blood clot was remove. Thanks to James quick thinking about what happened that is what may have saved Vera, because the doctors weren't sure if she would make it. Vera spent the next seven days in ICU. After Vera came to, she had a more difficult time talking and comprehending short conversations They sent her to North Cascade rehabilitation Center, where she stayed for almost three months. After Vera was released from the nursing home in Early September 2011, she took things slow and worked her way back up to her normal life style.

On October 10th 2012, James heard his mother having a hard time breathing at 11:45pm. James walked into her room turned on the light and asked what was wrong she said Anxieties. So James sat with his mom for 15mins trying to help coach her to breath slower, and take deeper breaths. Vera tried to follow James instructions but after 20mins had gone by James thought to check Vera's Pulse, and at first it was 120bpm, then 5mins later 144bpm, then another 5mins, it reached 170bpm. James said to his mother this isn't good im going to call 911. So once the EMT's arrived they checked Vera's vitals, and breathing, and asked her some question which she couldn't answer very cognitively. James stayed home thinking that it was just a typical visit into the er cause his mother Vera would go into the ER a lot threw the past 2 years especially after her Brain surgery. James received a call at 2:20am from the ICU Doctor, He told James that his mothers Liver had failed and that he didn't expect her to pull threw this. James found a family friend to get into the hospital around 4am, and got to see his mother and talk to the Doctor more per what they were planning to do. The Doctor said that they where going to give her some medicine that would help counter act the stuff that was harming her living, and give her meds to be comfortable. on the Oct. 11th James called to talk to the nurses they said the lab results where back and that the Medicine seemed to be doing its job, When Vera Entered the hospital her Tylenol levels were 261, a normal person's levels are 10-30, her's was down to 93. On Oct. 12th James called in to the speak with the nurse when he woke up, the labs were fine and then he hung up. 15mins later the nurse called James back asking James to come into the Hospital to speak with the Doctor.

Once James got into the hospital at 1pm, he sat down with the Doctor and she said that the medication worked how it should it removed all the Tylenol from her system, but the bad news was the Doctor said the damage to her Liver was to bad and she didn't expect Vera to live for very long. James made calls to as many of the friends and family he could think of. James went to sit with his mother at 1:15pm, and slowly more and more of Vera's Friends and family came to be with her and her Son. James sat by his mothers side all night long until around 3:07am, his mother finally went peacefully in her sleep on 10/13/12.

James Buried his Mother out in Ferndale at Enterprise Cemetery, on October 22nd, 2012. They had a Memorial Service for Vera at 3rd Christian Reformed Church, in Lynden on October 24th, 2012. Were friends and family shared lovely story's about the memories they had of Vera. If you had privilege of meeting Miss Vera Rastopsoff, and would like to share any fond memories of how you met or how you remembered Vera, with her son James please feel Free to Email him at Brownie_jamesr@msn.com