Evelyn Katherine Harmsen, 95, Luverne, died Thursday, March 23, 2023, at the Good Samaritan Society – Mary Jane Brown Home in Luverne.
Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 22, at St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 22, at St. Catherine. Memorials may be directed to the Luverne Hospice Cottage.
Evelyn Voss was born on April 13, 1927, near Wilmont to Joseph and Josephine (Wiltgen) Voss. The family later moved north of Adrian until 1943 when they moved to a farm northeast of Woodstock when Evelyn was 16 years old.
On May 9, 1944, Evelyn married William Krell Jr. at St. Martin’s Catholic Church in Woodstock. Evelyn and Bill ran the Woodstock Café for a time after moving into town. Due to Bill’s health issues, Evelyn began waitressing at Sid and Min’s Café in Pipestone. Bill passed away on May 25, 1957, due to brain cancer. After Bill’s death Evelyn began working at the Flame Room bar also in Pipestone.
On Sept. 2, 1958, Evelyn married Russ Harmsen. They moved to Ihlen two months later. Russ and Evelyn bought into the Glass House Steak House with Dale and LeeAnn Hess in March 1959. Russ and Evelyn had three children together. They owned and operated the business for 25 years until 1984. Evelyn began working at the Country Club in Pipestone along with volunteering her services for seniors. She was active at the Senior Center at Ihlen, volunteering and playing cards with friends. Evelyn celebrated her 80th birthday at the Country Club after which she retired. That summer she and Russ moved to St. Cloud.
They enjoyed spending time at their lake home at Pickerel Lake for 60 years along with traveling in their early years with friends and with daughter Joyce and husband Carl in their later years. Evelyn enjoyed being with people and made many friends in her years of working. She enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren.
In August of 2018 they moved to Luverne where Russ was admitted to the Minnesota Veterans Home and Evelyn lived with her daughter Deanna. Evelyn visited Russ daily at the Veterans Home until his death on Oct. 26, 2018. She moved to Poplar Creek in Luverne a month later. In May of 2020 she moved to the Good Samaritan Society – Mary Jane Brown Home.
Evelyn is survived by her six children, Bev York of Columbia Falls, Montana, Joyce (Carl) Pierret of Blaine, Vicki (Brad) Quist of Pickerel Lake, Deanna “Dee” Scott of Luverne, Mike (Karen) Harmsen of Clearwater, and Kim Harmsen; daughter-in-law Dolly Krell of Coon Rapids; 20 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; nine great-great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law Lois Voss of Maple Grove and Jean Voss of Canby; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Russ, of 60 years; three children, Randy Krell, Gene Krell and Terry Harmsen; sister Dorothy Jackson; and brothers Virgil Voss and Marvin (Bob) Voss.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
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