Alice Elizabeth Evans, 97, Wahpeton, ND passed away on Sunday, December 25, 2016 at CHI-St. Francis Healthcare, Breckenridge, MN. Formal services will be held at a later date in Turtle Lake. There will be a gathering at 2:30 PM on Monday, January 9, 2017 at St. Catherine's Living Center in Wahpeton, ND. Arrangements are entrusted to Vertin-Munson Funeral Home, Wahpeton, ND.
Alice was born on June 18, 1919 the third of eight children born to Hollie and Della (Croninger) Ewing in Battle Ground, Indiana. She grew up and attended school in the Battle Ground and Lafayette, IN area. She was united in marriage to Ezra Evans on September 10, 1939. They spent the first few years of their lives in Indiana until they moved to Turtle Lake, ND in September, 1945. There they started the Economy Meat Market. They ran the market until 1952 when they sold it to a family member and started their life of grain and cattle farming. They farmed and raised their children in the Turtle Lake area until Ezra passed away on May 31, 1982. In 1983, Alice moved into a condo in Turtle Lake which Ezra designed before he passed away. Alice continued to live there until June 1, 2002 when she moved to the Leach Home in Wahpeton, ND to be closer to her family. In January of 2013 she became a resident of St. Catherine's Living Center where she resided to the present day.
"Active" was a good way to describe Alice whether it was doing the farm wife chores of cleaning chickens or tending to her garden, to using her carpentry skills to build shelves or paint a room, she was always busy. She was known as quite a baker, especially pies and raised doughnuts, and she conformed to her region by coming from Indiana and learning to make the Scandinavian lefsa and German kuchen, delicacies in North Dakota. She and Ezra enjoyed socializing with friends and family and in her later years, Alice took up fishing and became an avid Minnesota Twins fan.
Alice's sense of humor was a quality that will be well-remembered by all who knew her. She always had a joke, riddle, prank, or magic trick to share. Laughter came easily to her and her unmistakable, high-pitched, halting chuckle was infectious.
In her long life, Alice impacted many people in her family, community, and around the world.
An active and dedicated Christian, she was a member of the Turtle Lake Methodist Church, where she taught Sunday school and served as Sunday school superintendent. She supported everyone from grandchildren away at college to missionaries around the world with prayer and letters of support. She was a member of the Hospital Auxiliary as well as other community organizations and worked tirelessly to provide support and leadership to the causes in which she was involved.
Most of all, Alice's boundless energy was channeled into caring for her family and giving to others. Her family and friends (and sometimes the occasional stranger) benefited from her cooking, gardening, sewing, and "handywoman" skills, and she did her best to pass these on to her children and grandchildren. Her hospitality, humor, warmth, generosity, and strong faith were qualities she offered freely to all she knew.
Alice will be sadly missed by her children, Charolette Lill, Chicago, IL, Audrey Jo (David) Hearn, Waterville, KS, Shari Fleming, Richmond, VA; her grandchildren, Jodi (Rich) Blasen, Michael (Jenny) Lill, Thomas (Corrine) Lill, Jonathon Lill, Tonja (David) Wienck, Tylor (Gerry Heard) Hearn, Travis (Danee Helvey) Brinck, , Trevor Domayer, Deirdre Domayer, Ethan (Abby) Evans, Noah (Erin) Evans, Christopher (friend, Emmy Erbes) Evans, Micah (Natalie) Evans, and Sarah Evans; her 12 great-grandchildren; her one great-great granddaughter; her brother, Hollie Ewing, Jr., Minot, ND; her daughter-in-law, Naomi Evans, Wahpeton, ND; her brother-in-law, Cecil Evans, Norman, OK; many nieces and nephews, and a close friend, Cindy Tiegs, Wahpeton.
In addition to her husband, Ezra, she was preceded in death by her parents, Hollie and Della Ewing, her son, Dr. Eugene Evans, her brothers, Lloyd, Cleo, Charles, and Cecil J. Ewing; and her sisters, Lucille Carter, and Violet Terry.
Visitation
St. Catherine's Living Center
1307 7th Street North
Wahpeton, ND 58075
Monday, January 9, 2017
2:30 PM