Evelyn passed away peacefully in her home on June 28, 2025. Evelyn was born on January 22, 1927 to Albert and Gertrude Graff in Kindred, North Dakota. She was baptized and confirmed in the local Lutheran Church. She attended rural school through eighth grade then transferred to Kindred High School where she graduated. She furthered her education at Interstate Business College in Fargo, North Dakota.

While working in Fargo, she met Howard Knoepfle and a friendship grew and they were married in 1947. This marriage blessed them with four children: Cheryl, Howard, James, and Wendy. When her husband Howard graduated from NDSU, they moved to Minot, North Dakota where he had a job waiting at US FHA. They lived in Minot several years and then his job was transferred to Crosby, North Dakota. After living in Crosby for three years, they moved back to Minot to be near the medical facility where Howard received treatment for cancer. Sadly, he passed away in 1958.

Widowed with four children, Evelyn returned to work at Western Finance Company in Fargo. In 1961, she met Morris Wirth who came to work at the company. Their friendship grew and they were married in 1961. In this marriage, they were blessed with a son, Mark. In 1973 they moved to Brandon, Minnesota where they began farming and farmed there for 45 years. They became members of St. John’s Lutheran Church where Evelyn liked to make banners for the church and make quilts with the ladies in the church for missions. She always had a large garden and did a lot of canning and freezing fruits and vegetables. In the winters they would go to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Evelyn and her husband Morris developed a townhome senior community named Garden Homes in Alexandria, Minnesota and lived there when they were done farming. After losing her husband Morris in 2020, Evelyn moved to Grand Arbor Senior Living in Alexandria where she lived until she passed.

She was preceded in death by her parents Albert and Gertrude Graff, her first husband Howard Knoepfle, her son James Knoepfle, her late husband Morris Wirth, and her brother and sisters Gordon Graff, Garnet Floberg, Agate Hansen, Beatrice Mortensen, Irene Nelson, Doris Alverson, Corrine (Corky) Nygaard, and Marlene Bergquist.

She is survived by her children Cheryl (Norman) Sellheim, Howard (Sharon) Knoepfle, Wendy (Skip) Lindback, and Mark (Chachi) Wirth as well as 12 grandchildren (Michael, Amy, Heidi, Josh, Matt, Katie, Mitchell, Haley, Russell, Zach, Jordan, Ana) and 19 great grandchildren (Amalia, Isla, Maren, Devin, Dane, Reese, Conner, Olivia, Morgan, Evelyn, Charley, Stassia, Viera, Lars, Violet, Hazel, Heidi, Taylor, Walker).Evelyn’s life will be celebrated at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Garfield, Minnesota.  Evelyn will be laid to rest in St. John’s cemetery in Garfield at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate to one of Evelyn’s favorite charities:

Samaritan’s Purse, Tunnels for Towers (T2T), or Lutheran Hour Ministries.