Beverly (Grafsgaard) Devoe

Beverly (Grafsgaard) Devoe, 77, of Strandburg, SD, passed away on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at Poynette, WI.

A celebration of life will be held at Tabor Lutheran Church in Strandburg, SD, on Monday, December 1, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. Vicar Emelia Enquist will officiate. A time of fellowship and coffee will follow the service at the church. Private inurnment will be held. Visitation will be held on Sunday, November 30, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Mundwiler Funeral Home in Milbank, SD.

The service will be livestreamed and recorded and will be viewable at the bottom of this page.

Beverly S. Grafsgaard was born November 3rd, 1948, to Harris J. and Lily Grafsgaard in Grand Forks, ND. She spent most of her childhood years in Moorhead, MN, and graduated in 1966 from Oak Grove High School, Fargo, ND. She attended Moorhead State University until 1970. As a teenager and college student, she worked at the Moorhead Tastee Freeze, perfecting her ice cream cone twist.

She married Donald K. Devoe on March 21, 1970, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Moorhead, MN. They moved to Tower City, ND, and then Madison, MN, before moving to LaBolt, SD, in 1972 and beginning their life ranching and raising livestock. They moved to Deuel County, SD, in 1978 and had a hobby farm there until 1996, when they were able to purchase a small ranch near Strandburg, SD, where they still reside.

Beverly was a homemaker and stay-at-home mother for her two daughters. As an active member of Grace Lutheran Church, LaBolt, and Tabor Lutheran Church, Strandburg, she held several positions including church secretary, custodian, and various council roles. For many years, she worked with the quilting group to make quilts for Lutheran World Relief. Beverly was an accomplished clothing seamstress. She enjoyed knitting and had a very artistic ability to create intricate, beautiful pieces, from clothes to decorative items. She also greatly enjoyed fiber spinning. She became highly skilled at dyeing her own wool with both natural and synthetic dyes. She spun her own yarn for many of her projects. Over the years, she gathered a beautiful collection of spinning wheels. She also did some fiber and rug weaving. She was a member of the Fiberworks Guild of South Dakota for many years, participated in many workshops, and provided numerous demonstrations over the years. She was very active in supporting the Deuel County 4-H organization while her daughters were active members.

She enjoyed being a grandmother to Ethan, Sawyer, and Gage. She was always available to stay with her grandsons when needed and visited as often as possible to spend time with them. She enjoyed traveling and sightseeing and took several bus trips to various areas of the U.S. over a span of around 10 years.

To her and her family’s devastation, Beverly was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012. She underwent countless treatments, which gave us 13 more years with her.

Beverly is survived by her husband of 55 years, Donald Devoe of Strandburg, SD; daughter, Erica (Scott) Kittelson of Good Thunder, MN; daughter, Ellen (Joe) Woodward of Poynette, WI; and grandsons: Ethan Kittelson (special friend, Amanda Hoff) of Mankato, MN; and Sawyer and Gage Woodward of Poynette, WI. She is further survived by her sisters: Mary (Charles) Sorum of West Fargo, ND; Kathryn Grafsgaard (Stephen Cowdery) of Anoka, MN; Carol (Gary) Feir of Lake Park, MN; Lynne (Thomas) Joyce of West Fargo, ND; and one brother, James (Brenda) Grafsgaard of Columbia Heights, MN; as well as 16 nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Timothy.

The family would like to thank Prairie Lakes Cancer Center – Watertown, SD; SSM Health Cancer Care – WI; and SSM Hospice – WI for their help during her years of treatment and for guiding us through the end journey. The family would also like to thank Pflanz Mendrala Funeral Home in Poynette, WI, for their assistance in Wisconsin.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to:

Tabor Lutheran Church Cemetery: 16168 472nd Ave, Strandburg, SD 57265

The American Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/about-us/local/south-dakota.html 

SSM Hospice: www.givetossmhealth.org/foundations/wisconsin/ssm-health-at-home-foundation-of-wisconsin/make-a-gift 

SSM Health at Home Foundation of Wisconsin: 4639 Hammersley Road Madison, Wisconsin 53711

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