Evie's Story

Evie Kahnke, was a 17-year-old blonde hair, blue eyed, tall & skinny farm girl, raised in the small town of Florence, South Dakota. She was the daughter to Chad and Hollie Kahnke and little sister to Emily and Charlie. She was born on July 12th, 2000 and baptized on August 27th, 2000. This smiley little girl with glasses was a lover of life, animals and all the people around her. She attended school in Florence, making many lifelong friends. As she grew older she found a passion for sports (rodeo, volleyball, basketball, and track), FFA and 4H.  She accomplished much while competing in these activities consistently 
over the years. Her dedication to what she loved did not go unnoticed. When not competing you could find Evie working on the family ranch, taking care of the horses, angus cattle and dogs. Once in a while she would be found napping in her room or watching Netflix with the aroma of a burning candle in the background. On Sundays she would attend church to pray and sing hymns, her faith was very authentic and pure. She was confirmed May 1st, 2016. Many words could describe Evie's character and personality: intelligent, optimistic, faithful and gritty are only a few.

On February 28th, 2018 Evie was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She was admitted into the Sanford Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls and stayed there for 3 months with one visit home in between her chemo. Her cancer diagnosis did not scare her. I believe it allowed her to grow in her faith and become closer to God, her family and her friends. Some say that each hand she was dealt was the worst, they may be right, but Evie always held her head high and looked for the positive in each situation. Evie fought AML will all her might and we are so heartbroken she was unable to win. 

 Sharing 17 years with Evie was an utmost blessing to our family and not nearly enough time, however, we believe she is watching over us each day and still sharing these moments with us now and the years to come. Her funeral was held on June 1st, 2018 at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Watertown. Grateful for being a part of Evie’s life are her parents, Chad & Hollie Kahnke of Florence; her sister, Emily Kahnke of Florence; her brother, Charlie Kahnke of Florence; paternal grandmother, Georgia Kahnke of Florence; maternal grandparents, Ron & Jeri Wagner of Watertown; her aunts and uncles, Tony & Becky Kahnke of Florence, Julie & Mike Hintz of Florence, Dan & Sheri Kahnke of Florence, Jon & Alex Kahnke of Florence and Jason Wagner of Watertown; and numerous cousins. Evie was preceded in death by her paternal grandfather, James T. Kahnke; paternal great-grandparents, Lawrence & Delores Kahnke and George & Louisa Schickedanz; her maternal great-grandparents, Robert V. & Pauline Wagner and Eldon & Margaret Kriese.

Evie Kahnke, was a 17-year-old blonde hair, blue eyed, tall & skinny farm girl, raised near the small town of Florence, South Dakota. She was the daughter to
Chad and Hollie Kahnke and little sister to Emily and Charlie. She was born on July 12th, 2000 and baptized on August 27th, 2000. This smiley little girl with glasses was a lover of life, animals and all the people around her. She attended school in Florence, making many lifelong friends. As she grew older she found a passion for sports (rodeo, volleyball, basketball, and track), FFA and 4H.
She accomplished much while competing in these activities consistently 
over the years. Her dedication to what she loved did not go unnoticed. When
not competing you could find Evie working on the family ranch, taking care of the horses, angus cattle and dogs. Once in a while she would be found napping in her room or watching Netflix with the aroma of a burning candle in the background. On Sundays she would attend church to pray and sing hymns, her faith was very authentic and pure. She was confirmed May 1st, 2016. Many words could describe Evie's character and personality: intelligent, optimistic, faithful and
gritty to name a few.

                                              On February 28th, 2018 Evie was diagnosed with
                                                  Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She was admitted into
                                                    the Sanford Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls
                                                   and stayed there for 3 months with one visit
                                                   home in between her chemo. Her cancer
                                                       diagnosis did not scare her. I believe it allowed
                                                   her to grow in her faith and become closer to
                                                  God, her family and her friends. Some say that
                                                  each hand she was dealt was the worst, they may
                                               be right, but Evie always held her head high and
                                              looked for the positive in each situation. Evie fought
                                        AML will all her might and we are so heartbroken she was unable to win. 

 Sharing 17 years with Evie was an utmost blessing to our family and not nearly enough time, however, we believe she is watching over us each day and still sharing these moments with us now and in the years to come. Her funeral was held on June 1st, 2018 at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church of Watertown, SD. Grateful for being a part of Evie’s life are her parents, Chad & Hollie Kahnke of Florence; her sister, Emily Kahnke of Florence; her brother, Charlie Kahnke of Florence; paternal grandmother, Georgia Kahnke of Florence; maternal grandparents, Ron & Jeri Wagner of Watertown; her aunts and uncles, Tony & Becky Kahnke of Florence, Julie & Mike Hintz of Florence, Dan & Sheri Kahnke of Florence, Jon & Alex Kahnke of Florence and Jason Wagner of Watertown; and numerous cousins. Evie was preceded in death by her paternal grandfather, James T. Kahnke; paternal great-grandparents, Lawrence & Delores Kahnke and George & Louisa Schickedanz; her maternal great-grandparents, Robert V. & Pauline Wagner and Eldon & Margaret Kriese.