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Funeral services for Raymond Evenson, age 93, of Lemmon, SD, formerly of McIntosh, SD, will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2020 at the Prince of Peace Chapel of the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon, SD.  Pastor Bryant Laude will officiate with burial to follow in the Greenhill Cemetery at Lemmon.

Services will be limited to immediate family and will be live streamed through Ray's obituary on our website.  Live streaming will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the service.  The service will be viewable for 90 days from the funeral date.

Raymond Alfred Evenson was born February 4, 1927 to Martin and Amelia (Berndt) Evenson at the home place 4 miles southwest of White Butte.  He grew up helping on the family farm and went to grade school in White Butte. For a time Amelia and the kids lived in White Butte during the school year and he carried water for a neighbor lady to earn enough money to buy a jackknife. He had a love of accordion music and played Martin's accordion at a dance at the White Butte Hall when he was 9 years old.  The Evenson family were all musical and loved to dance the waltz, polka, schottische and jig. After he finished school, Ray worked for area farmers and ranchers, worked with his brother Melvin, broke horses and played for and went to lots of area dances.  In 1946 he met Eleanor Fogerty who was a friend of his sister, Lillian.    Ray and Eleanor were married November 22, 1947 at the American Lutheran Church in Belle Fourche.

Ray worked for Riddle's Jewelry cutting stones, Bill Main, drilling wells, Henry Johnson and Hank O'Dell doing farm work.  In 1951 Ray and Eleanor bought a farm northeast of Thunder Hawk and raised their 3 daughters there until moving to southwest of McIntosh in 1960. They always loved to visit neighbors, friends and relatives and listen to old time music.  He and Eleanor continued farming, ranching and running a dairy operation. Their son Dennis was born in 1967 and in later years they sold the farm to his son, Dennis.  Ray continued to stay on the ranch helping with the farm work until Eleanor passed away in 2016.  He stayed with his daughter, Cindy, at Shadehill for a short time before moving to Prairie Pines Apartments at Lemmon.  Ray always enjoyed visiting with people about "Old Times" and tractors.  He resided at Prairie Pines for 3 years and in February 2020 resided at Five Counties Nursing Home where he passed away on Monday morning, May 4, 2020.

He is survived by his son, Dennis (Shari) of McIntosh, SD; daughters, Alice Brown (Alan) of Rapid City, SD, Rita Kling (Lyle) of Keldron, SD and Cindy Kahl (Kermet) of Shadehill, SD; six grandchildren; numerous great and great-great grandchildren; one sister, June Maier, Lemmon, SD; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Eleanor on September 3, 2016; four brothers, Stanton, Edward, Clarence and Melvin; one half-brother, Charles; four sisters, Ruth Evenson, Rose Henderson, Agnes Becker and Lillian Bridges; and one half-sister, Mildred Gibbons.