Emily K. Hilgers
May 11, 1952 ~ March 1, 2026
Emily Hilgers, a devoted mother, grandmother, and lifelong helper of others, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family.
She leaves behind her two beloved sons, Jeremiah Hilgers (Angela and Anthony) and Christopher Hilgers (Sarah, Maxton, and Annabelle), who were the greatest joys of her life. Emily’s love for her family was the center of her world, and she took immense pride in watching her children and grandchildren grow.
Emily spent her career in service to others as a social worker for individuals with developmental disabilities. Through her kindness, empathy, and unwavering dedication, she touched countless lives and made a lasting difference in her community.
After retiring, Emily continued to express her love and creativity through gardening and art. She was a talented quilter and watercolor painter, known for her keen eye for color and her ability to infuse warmth and beauty into everything she created. Her handmade quilts and paintings will remain cherished reminders of the care and creativity she shared so generously.
Emily was preceded in death by her parents, James Evanson and Mary Evanson (Hart); as well as her brother, Charles Evanson.
She is survived by her sister, Anna Hoffman; and her brothers, Doug Evanson and John Evanson, along with many extended family members and friends who will remember her with love.
Those who knew Emily will remember her gentle spirit, giving heart, and quiet strength. Her legacy lives on in the family she cherished and in the many lives she brightened through both her work and her art.
She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.
The Hilgers family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the staff at Sanford Hospice House for their compassionate care and kindness during the final days of Emily’s life.
Memorials on behalf of Emily can be made to the Great Plains Food Bank, Northern Plains Botanical Garden, or Grace United Methodist church.
A celebration of life will be held at Boulger Funeral Home in Fargo, ND on April 11th, 2026 from 2:00-4:00pm.
Services
Celebration of Life: Saturday, April 11, 2026 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Boulger Funeral Home and Celebration of Life Center
123 10th Street S.
Fargo, North Dakota 58103
701-237-6441
https://boulgerfuneralhome.com
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Our sympathy to Emily’s family and friends…. Emily showed such great strength, dignity, and positivity throughout this challenge. Fly high, Em!!
My deepest sympathy to Emily’s family and friends. I will miss you garden friend.
Linda Andeson
Summer won’t feel the same without seeing her in her garden, tending to her flowers, and making the neighborhood a little brighter with her care and kindness. She was a beautiful soul and the best neighbor anyone could hope for. We were so lucky to live beside her for the past ten years. Her warmth and friendship will always be remembered.
Fly high Em- love you!
Thinking of Emily’s warm heart and the quiet dignity with which she endured the health storm which buffeted her. May she garden the cosmos with joy eternal.
Mary Arnholt
liz olday
I will celebrate her life on 4/11 by going to Buffalo River and sending milk fairies to be with her,
Since those early years, we exchanged Christmas letters every year. Emily’s was always hand-written. Sadly, long periods of time would go by without seeing one other. But whenever we were together, we fell right back into that comfortable friendship, and the years apart would fall away.
Once she wrote me of her cancer diagnosis and prognosis, I knew I needed to see her! So, I’d drive up. We would talk about her kids and mine. She was so proud of Jer and Chris – and very much liked the women they chose as partners. She relished telling about times spent with her grandchildren. We talked about the loss of Charlie, and the continued presence of Anna, Doug and John.
I absolutely LOVE the picture of her used for Her obituary. Don’t her eyes and smile just invite you in?, saying “I may not know you yet, but I care about you.” She was a great coach and advocate for her clients. She was strong. She was smart. She was kind.
The last time I spoke with her by phone was in February. She was in hospice. I asked if she would like me to drive up. She kindly said that it would take too much out of her. I told her that I loved her, and thanked her for our times together. In true Emily fashion, she replied she only regretted she would not be beside me in my final days. Always thinking of others to her last breath.
I wish I could come on Saturday, but I cannot. I will hold Emily in my heart always. My sympathies to all of her family and friends.
We are Brock’s Grandparents and had the privilege to have you stay at our lake home several times with Brock.
Your Mom sounds like a very strong, kind, giving person. May you have many memories of the love and goodness she shared with so many people to help you through this difficult time.
My sister Emily,
You were many things to many people in life, but to me you were always my big sister. Coming from a large family and I being the youngest it takes a bit of a journey to come into your own to be seen, heard and appreciated. But even from an early age you were the first person that I felt heard seen and fully appreciated by. To be seen and heard by a much older sibling as a child was immensely powerful.
Your calm voice, your ability to listen, your laugh, your advice and your wisdom were always available when asked. As I read through the testimonials of other people who knew you in other roles other than my big sister I see a quite common thread. You lived life of purpose. You made a life and a career, making sure that people that could not always give voice to themselves, were seen, heard, and appreciated. I can’t help but see that as you touched people in your walk of life that the people in your life, be it your neighbors, friends or college roommates, they all felt seen and heard, appreciated.
This walk of life is anything but a straight line that we see when we first embark. It is filled with twists and turns and full of challenges and imperfections. None of us are immune from the stumbling blocks of life. But of all the higher callings in life, the highest of all is to be all is to be seen, heard and appreciated.
So big sis, wherever you may find yourself in this world and the next, of all things to be remembered, I hope you know that you were seen, you were heard, and you were appreciated. And above all that, I hope you can feel how much you were loved.
Love always
Your little brother Doug