December 17, 1934 – January 29, 2025
William “Billy” Evenson, 90, lifelong Hettinger, ND area Angus Cattleman passed away at the West River Regional Medical Center with his wife, Eleanora and his three daughters at his side on January 29, 2025.
The Celebration of Billy’s Life will be Friday, February 7, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. MT at the Hettinger Lutheran Church in Hettinger, ND. Synod Authorized Minister Barb West will officiate and burial with Full Military Honors will follow at the Hettinger Cemetery. Visitation will be from 3:00 to 7:00 pm on Thursday, February 6 at the Centennial Chapel of Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Hettinger.
As the horse and buggy age was coming to a close the prairies of the Western Dakotas were growing with young families and their dreams of the future. Many had already spent nearly three decades laying the foundation of deep family values and traditions that the state would soon be known for.
Farming with his father Will, Ernest and his wife Lillian (Erickson) Evenson were one of these young couples. On December 17, 1934, in the Springer Hospital William “Billy” Evenson was born. Weighing in at just over five pounds, pro basketball was probably a long shot. With strong Norwegian ancestral roots and Adams County being land locked the future for Billy pointed toward farming and ranching.
Billy is the eldest of five children who helped on the farm while growing up near Hettinger, North Dakota. He attended Hettinger schools where he became active in sports. He was captain on what was said to be a pretty salty Hettinger Shooting Stars basketball team. At one point in his hard-court career, he played center apparently depending more on position and his skills rather than his towering dominating size.
He would also play football. Eleanora, said he was always introduced by his pastor as Hettinger’s quarter back. This statement perplexes some of his family because we always thought he was a half back, which he was. Bill explained that she really didn’t know the difference.
Sports continued to be a large part of Billy’s life even after graduation in 1953. He continued to play basketball on an independent team for a few years and added softball to his skills where his pitching haunted batters until his 60th birthday. Bill showed no mercy in his pitching, even striking out his son-in-law Dan. He loved to talk to those who would listen as he stood a bit taller, smiled a bit broader, puffed out his chest a bit more, and his eyes would sparkle with love and pride as he talked about the accomplishments of his grandkids.
Over the years Bill would wear many hats other than his farming/ranching one. In 1957 he would join the National Guard where he would become First Sergeant and be one of the top five recruiters for North Dakota, winning a trip to Washington DC. A memorable trip that he says was well worth it.
From 1973 to 1997 he served on the Board of the Hettinger Equity Exchange, 10 years as President. His interest in youth and schools got him elected to the School Board from 1974 to 1980 where he would also take a term as President.
A lifelong member of Hettinger Lutheran Church, a regular usher during his youth, and later served as a Church Trustee and President of the Council.
His love of the farm started early, from tractors with open wheels and putt-putt engines to bidirectional with air-conditioned cabs. From dairy herd to Black Angus herd, delivering milk to town by horse and wagon to tracking his production number on computers, Bill has truly seen times change. His father had purchased the farm in 1946, and Bill stayed on after graduation to work full time with his dad. In 1952 the purchase of 12 registered Black Angus cows was the beginning of the future. They participated in Winter Shows in Rapid City and local Fairs and have placed first many times. In 1976 brother Wally joined Billy and formed a partnership buying the home farm from their father. In 1980 they went from private treaty to an annual production sale held each year in the spring. They have added a private feedlot in 2005 and have approximately 400 registered Black Angus cattle keeping their production strong and making them one of the top Black Angus operations in the region.
Billy married Eleanora (Jung) in 1957, and they have three daughters Carrie, Dawn, and Tonya, all of them living in the area. He enjoyed nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Billy enjoyed taking several trips with his siblings over the years to Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, Arizona and Seatle. When he gets a little free time and there is no good book nearby or sports on tv you might find him at the computer playing a little poker. He’s won a few tournaments but since farming/ranching is enough of a gamble there’s never any real money involved.
He loved the farm, and being outdoors on his 4-wheeler in the pasture, especially in the summertime surrounded by cattle. He will talk about the importance of a good mother cow, their calves and the good bull they were sired by. He took pride in the fact that Evenson Black Angus bulls have a great disposition and tend to be mild tempered. Eleanora will tell a story of Billy literally going head-to-head with a bull that had gotten out. She figured if he was going to kill himself, she was not going to watch and headed home. But he knew his bulls and had no fear. He set his goals to increase his acreage and his herd. His accomplishments have been rewarding. We are all blessed to have had him in our lives, and we are all very proud.
Billy’s spirit will live on in the awakening of the spring pastures, the birth of new calves, and the harvesting of the fields because he truly loved this land.
Grateful for having shared his life are his wife Eleanora (Jung) Evenson, daughters Carrie (Trevor) Strand, Dawn (Dan) Boxrud, Tonya (Greg) Jensen, Grandchildren Tyler (Nikki) Strand, Ashley (Ryan) Demarais, Natasha (Jared) Kolles, Jeb (Heather) Boxrud, Luke Boxrud, Ella, Laela and Jaeda Jensen. Great-grandchildren Brecken and Kya Strand, Samuel, William and Adaline Demarais, Medora, Ruby and Elis Kolles, Briggs, Hartley, Gordee, Fitz and Wilder Boxrud. Brother’s Wally Evenson and Larry Evenson. Sister and brother-in-law Nadine and Sterling Bentsen. Numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Proceeded in death by his parents Ernest and Lillian Evenson, an infant son, his sister and brother-in-law Naida and Dale Gruebele, sister-in-law Gina Evenson, grandson Tanner Strand, mother and father-in law Adam and Pauline Jung, brother and sister-in-law Herbert and Loretta Jung.