Our Founder
In 1912, R.S. "Dick" Evanson was approached by a Mr. Braden of "Braden House Furnishing & Undertaking Company" with an offer to buy him out so Mr. Braden could move from the area. Dick, who was operating the Hotel and running a feed store, jumped at the opportunity and was off to Minneapolis for a six week course in embalming. He returned to Lemmon to begin the firm --- Evanson Jensen Funeral Home.
Dick's son, Evie Evanson, graduated from the University of Minnesota, served in the U.S. Army in World War II and returned to Lemmon to join hissix-week father in the funeral business and in operating a furniture store. Dick, Sadie, Evie and his wife, Ollie, were active in every phase of business and community life. In the picture in front of the old Evanson Jensen Furniture building are Harold Crow, Eldon Jensen, Dick and Sadie Evanson, Ollie, Evie and Darlene Evanson.
Evanson Jensen Partnership
Eldon S. Jensen was 18 years old when he began his internship with Evie Evanson in the summer of 1961. As "Grandpa" Dick Evanson showed him through the funeral home on his first day, Eldon will never forget his words of wisdom. "Those placed in our care are of immeasurable worth to those who grieve. We must remember the trust placed in us and keep in mind that these are the temples of the soul." The internship was completed in funeral service under the guidance of Evie, following Eldon's graduation from the University of Minn. in 1963, when he returned to Lemmon for full employment.
In 1968, Evie and Eldon established the partnership of Evanson Jensen. They purchased the Mott, ND funeral home in 1979 then expanded again in 1981 to include the funeral home in Elgin, ND.
The Jensens
When Evie Evanson retired in 1985, Eldon Jensen became the sole owner of Evanson Jensen Funeral Homes and Evanson Jensen Furniture. He opened Faith Area Memorial Chapel of Evanson Jensen Funeral Homes in his hometown of Faith, SD in 1989. In 1991 he established both the Funeral Home of the Northern Hills in Belle Fourche, SD and bought the funeral home in Hettinger, ND.
Eldon's son, Greg Jensen, returned to Lemmon, SD to join his father in the business. Greg pursued and obtained his pilot's license and "Eldon Jensen Family Funeral Homes of Caring" (a registered trademark) purchased a Cessna 206 airplane in 1996 to help alleviate travel in the vast area of service in western North and South Dakota. In April of 2008 a Piper Seneca III twin engine aircraft was purchased to expedite transportation logistics for the funeral homes.
The antique horse-drawn hearse, a duplicate of the one Dick Evanson started out with is still used today for many of the horse loving families in the Western Dakota's. It is the only funeral director owned-original hearse of its kind in the Western Dakota's.
From horsedrawn to aircraft "Funeral Homes of Caring" combine the old with the new to provide the finest of service to it's clientele.
Our Values and Traditions
The facilities of the Eldon Jensen family "Funeral Homes of Caring"® continue with all the time-honored traditions of locally owned and operated businesses. They know that it takes the personal, caring touch of a family-owned funeral home to respond to the needs of those who grieve.
"In Funeral Service, our calling imposes on us special responsibilities to those we serve. And because we serve an area where one and all are part of the community and personally known to one another, our responsibilities broaden, in order to give personal caring service." We belong to the International Order of the Golden Rule, an association of locally owned funeral homes that subscribe to the Golden Rule. The families served are queried by the Order so that "Eldon Jensen Family Funeral Homes of Caring" can retain its standing in the organization.
