Kim P. Evenson

Kim P. Evenson

Kim P. Evenson, 73, Devils Lake, ND died Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at her home surrounded by family.

Funeral services will be Thursday, June 12, at 11:00 a.m. at Peace Lutheran Church in Devils Lake. Pastor Trudy Dumont will officiate.

Kim Patricia Donovan was born October 17, 1951 in Austin, Minnesota, the daughter of Willard and Rose (Cotter) Donovan. She was the third child of seven, and 311 Fifth Street SW was a home filled with extended family members and neighbors for most of her life. She cherished memories of playing kick the can with her siblings and other kids on their block, partaking in the neighbor’s annual tamale feast, working at the A&W drive in, teaching swimming lessons at the YMCA, ice-skating at the Skinners Hill pond, spending time with her uncles and aunts and grandmother, and occasionally finding some peace and quiet by hiding in the family Chevelle with a book. She often recounted her family’s epic road trips to visit relatives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with nine humans and an incontinent Brittany Spaniel crammed into their 1960s Chevy Imperial: they would make the 1,100 mile trip in 24 hours, stopping only for gas and sandwiches. Her cousins in New Mexico said the first thing Kim wanted when they arrived was a frosty mug of A&W, followed by a bottle of baby oil for a tanning session in the desert sun.

Kim was a proud alumna of Pacelli High School, where she was a swimmer and cheerleader. She maintained lifelong friendships with her fellow Shamrocks and was looking forward to attending their 55th class reunion this year.

After high school, she attended Riverland Community College in Austin and took an office support / cashier position at the Hormel factory, where she met Daryl Evenson of Devils Lake.

She and Daryl were united in marriage in October of 1975 in Austin. They established their home in 1976 on a farm in Minnewaukan Township, rural Devils Lake, ND, where they lived and farmed for 49 years. Despite being a city girl, she adapted to the challenges of farm life: feeding cattle and chickens, occasionally warming a newborn calf in her kitchen, maintaining communications with her large family via partyline-style telephone lines that were shared with her neighbors, joining a Lutheran church congregation, living next door to her in-laws, building friendships with local residents, and delivering her babies in a rural hospital: Alex in 1978, and Eriana in 1981.

She worked at Ramsey Bank, Herbst Clothing Store, and for 10 years at Prairie View Elementary School as a Title 1 Paraprofessional. Kim was a Charter Member of Peace Lutheran Church and volunteered many hours supporting the congregation: providing treats and luncheons for funerals and weddings, making crafts for church fundraisers, tending the flower beds, and much more.

Kim enjoyed traveling and looked forward to gathering with her family each summer in the Leech Lake area, making sure to visit Itasca State Park on the way and shop in Walker multiple times. She liked creature comforts: black coffee (Kona if it was available) and Hershey’s chocolate in the morning, fancy mugs and dishes, fuzzy robes and slippers, Dot’s Pretzels with Sprite at night. Her hobbies included gardening, canning (particularly homemade jam), shopping, collecting dishes and antiques, watching movies and shows, and caring for her pets. Most of Kim’s pets were found on or near their farm; she and Daryl enjoyed nursing them back to health, earning their trust, and giving them the very best lives. Kim had a particular fondness for black cats.

Most of all, however, Kim enjoyed caring and providing for her family, who loved her immensely and will miss her even more. She was such a stellar mother that we are reluctant to provide specific examples here, as they would only spark jealousy (truly—you have no idea).

She liked to sneak a middle finger into portraits, and to pretend she did not have as silly of a sense of humor as she actually did (“Surstromming challenge” videos on the Internet made her cry with laughter). She preferred Star Trek to Star Wars and made amazing pie. She always smelled good. She was incredibly easy to talk to and could make conversation with anyone. She was incredibly generous, not just with gifts and money, but with her time and attention and love. She treated everyone with kindness and empathy and dignity.

At 7:40pm on April 23, 2025, Kim Evenson passed away. She was at home, her husband and children holding her hands and rubbing her feet, a cat purring on her lap, and chickadees chirping outside as a light spring breeze wafted through the room. A child of Minnesota and an Irish working class family, a proud mother and grandmother, a loving sister and aunt and daughter, a quiet warrior, and an incredible human being beautiful inside and out, she will be profoundly missed.

She is survived by her husband, Daryl of Devils Lake; son, Alex (Erin) Evenson of Saint Paul, MN; daughter, Eriana (Neil) Ihrke of Byron, MN; grandchildren Henry, Elliot, Elizabeth, Sadie, and Natalie; four sisters, Maureen, Sheila, Sally, and Kelly; and two brothers, Kevin and Patrick. She was preceded in death by her parents.