In Memoriam: Willow Rao, CRNA (1985-2024)

Willow Rao, CRNA, passed away peacefully at home on January 22, 2024. She is survived by her father, John S. Rao; mother, Julie A. Rao; brother, Robin Rao; sister-in-law, Pamela Rao; nephew, Hunter Rao; niece, Samantha Rao; aunts, Chris Rao, Sandy Prater, and Kathy Durst; uncle, Larry Durst; and her many special friends too numerous to mention. Willow dearly cherished her family and friends and she was way too young to leave us.

Willow was the girl that knew how a simple “Hello” and a smile could change someone’s day. She was the girl who didn’t seek approval from others, the girl that knew how powerful words can be and never used them to bring another person down. She was the girl who could see the best in you and the girl that was always up for adventure. Willow was an amazing young woman and a gift. She was our light.

Willow had a career at Aspirus Hospital in Rhinelander, Wisconsin as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. She was passionate about her job and well respected in the nursing community, including time spent at UW-Health in Madison, Wisconsin and Winona Health in Winona, Minnesota. She was a graduate of Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin and the Nurse Anesthesia Program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Willow loved the great outdoors and lived her life with great respect for the natural world. She had a special passion for waterskiing, which she did at her summer cabin on Thousand Island Lake in the Michigan Upper Peninsula and as a long-time member of the Chain Skimmers Water Ski Team in Conover, Wisconsin.

Willow touched many lives and will be greatly missed.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Willow’s memory to the Cisco Chain Riparian Owners Association – Invasive Species Fund.

This obituary was originally published on the Dickinson Funeral Home’s website.