Evelyn Reigstad

Evelyn E. Reigstad, age 95, of Willmar and formerly of Sunburg, passed away Wednesday morning, May 6, at Bethesda Grand in Willmar

A Celebration of Life service will be held at a later date.  Arrangements are with Peterson Brothers Sunburg Funeral Home.  www.petersonbrothers.com

Evelyn Elenore Sorenson Reigstad was born on June 22, 1924, in rural Brooten, the daughter of Ole and Inga (Lerhaug) Sorenson. She grew up on the family farm and attended the local country school. Her mother died when Evelyn was eleven years old. On July 29, 1946, she married Hanley Reigstad.  They settled in a house in Sunburg which was Evelyn’s home for the next 72 years. In addition to being a mother to six children, she worked outside the home at various jobs including Wonderalls, Jennie-O and Fingerhut. During their early retirement years, Hanley & Evelyn enjoyed traveling to visit family in California and British Columbia, Canada. A trip to Norway with Gordon’s family was a special memory for them. Evelyn was a hard worker, doing yard work and keeping her house spic and span until she moved to Bethesda Grand in March, 2019. Besides working, a favorite pastime was singing and playing gospel songs on her keyboard. Evelyn’s family is thankful for the kind staff at Bethesda who cared for her. She commented that they treated her “like a queen.”  During her time at Bethesda, she felt she had a purpose for being there and loved to talk with the other residents about following Christ. She longed for heaven, and the recent quarantine made her even more eager to go there as she missed walking around and interacting with others.

Evelyn is survived by her daughter Judy (Tim) Teer of Abbotsford, BC, Canada, sons Gordon (Karen) of White Bear Lake, Bruce (Marna) of Willmar, Don (Pam) of Motley and Marvin (Marcia) of Minneapolis, son-in-law Rick (Marci) Poverud of Broken Arrow, OK, 27 grandchildren and 58 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband Hanley in 2014, her daughter Connie Poverud in 2000, grandson Daniel Reigstad, great-grandchildren William Caploe, Evelyn Baker and Daniel Nerison, her parents, sisters Myrtle (Jack) Freese, Verna (Alfred) Peterson, Adeline (Lloyd) Paulson, Irene (Harlen) Jorgenson and Inez Sorenson (in infancy), brothers Lloyd (Ruth) Sorenson, Odean Sorenson, Gilman Sorenson, Elvin Sorenson, Henry (in infancy) and Ernest (in childhood).