Jonathan Evert

With hearts full of love, we celebrate the life of Jonathan Douglas Evert.

His zest for life began on March 24, 1992, in St. Cloud, MN. Born to Blake and Janelle Evert, Jon joined his older brother, Benjamin. He was brought to the Christian faith through baptism at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St. Cloud on April 26, 1992 and was confirmed October 26, 2008 at Calvary Lutheran Church in Grand Forks.

The family moved to Alexandria, MN when Jon was three months old. His attendance at Calvary Lutheran Preschool and Voyager Elementary School stimulated his inquisitive mind. Jon loved pretending to be a train engineer while playing with Thomas the Tank Engine and his BRIO wooden train set. He also spent hours maneuvering his Tonkas in the backyard sandbox and started his prized Pokémon card collection.

Summertime fun at the lake and winter ski trips cultivated his fondness for the outdoors. Travels to Wyoming visiting Grandma and Grandpa Evert, as well as time at Grandma and Grandpa Pollert’s farm in North Dakota enhanced his love of nature.

In 2000, the Evert family moved to Grand Forks, ND. Jon attended Century Elementary, South Middle School and graduated with honor from Grand Forks Central High School in 2010. It was during these formative years when Jon collected every Scooby Doo chapter book available, constructed countless Lego sets, participated on the McDonald's High School Challenge and Science Bowl teams and developed his love of playing the drums. In addition to band and jazz band, Jon was a leader in GFC’s drum line, played percussion for many GFC musicals, and with the Summer Performing Arts Steel Drum Band.

Jon continued to beat on drums during his years at North Dakota State University. He was a part of the prestigious Gold Star Marching Band, traveling from the Fargodome to Frisco for five years. He also joined the GSMB when they marched in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin, Ireland. Jon pledged to Theta Chi fraternity, making lasting friendships. He graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University in December 2014.

His college degree landed him a job at HTI in Hutchinson, MN as a process design engineer. His professional expertise led him to accepting a position at IntriCon, Arden Hills, MN as a medical manufacturing engineer. In April 2022, Jon found his perfect job at Cummins, Fridley, MN as a VPI manufacturing engineer. He was recently promoted to senior industrial engineer. In October 2022, Jon was asked to consult on a Cummins project in the United Kingdom. While there he toured castles, gardens and seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a Minnesota Vikings game while abroad.

No matter which company Jon was with, he was a leader in volunteering, donating blood, delivering holiday meals to the less fortunate, gathering pledges and pedaling in the 150-mile MS bike race, participating in the Special Olympics polar plunge, and many more.

Jon met the love his life, Mai Yang, while playing on a co-ed volleyball team in the summer of 2019. He embraced her Hmong culture and Mai learned of Jon’s family traditions of food, wine and card playing. They seized adventurous opportunities: hiking in deep snow in northern Minnesota, snorkeling in Mexico, exploring the Mayan ruins, kayaking on Lake Superior and attending the Minnesota State Fair annually.

Nothing delighted Jon more than sharing his enthusiasm for the outdoors with those he loved. Early on were family trips to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, picking berries on a hillside in Germany, and zip lining in the redwoods of northern California. The six of us shared in yearly Evert events to Door County and Copper Falls State Park, WI, hiked the Mississippi River bluffs, and most recently saw the changing of the colors in the Blue Ridge Mountains, NC. He took delight in teaching Mai and her children, Dexter and Abby, how to downhill ski and take them on summer camping trips. He was proud to witness two total solar eclipses; the first with his brother at their uncle and aunt’s home in Wyoming and the other in southern Missouri.

A lover of the land, Jon and Mai considered themselves farmers in the city growing many vegetables and herbs on their “empire” lot. They appreciated watching bald eagles perch in their large oak trees calling for their mates.

Jon lived life fully until his last breath on December 13, 2025, surrounded by his loving fiancée, parents and brother, five days after his diagnosis of Acute Monoblastic Leukemia.

Jon leaves behind his fiancée Mai Yang, parents Blake and Janelle Evert, brother Benjamin (Tim Miller), exchange sister, Dorothee Probost (Luis), numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents David and Myrna Evert, aunt Louise Jacobson and maternal grandparents Donald and Georgine Pollert.

In lieu of flowers, memorials will be used to honor Jon by planting trees in his favorite places.

Service will be available to watch at: https://vimeo.com/1149079069/227d8248ca