Evan C. Berquist

Evan C. Berquist

43, a beloved husband, father, and son, died unexpectedly on May 9th, 2025.

Evan was born in St. Paul, MN to Alice and Charles Berquist on January 27, 1982. From the very beginning, Evan was a thoughtful, kind, intellectual, and fun person with an uncanny knack for connecting with people. He was the best older brother to Blake Berquist, constantly playing with, picking on, guiding, and supporting him. He graduated from St. Paul Academy before going to Colorado College, where he studied history and Spanish and graduated with honors.

Evan met his wife and best friend, Laura K. Berquist (née Walski), during a college trip to the Pacific Northwest. It was obvious they were going to be partners for life from the start. They formed a deep connection, exchanging handwritten love letters at a time when communicating by email and text message was prolific. Evan and Laura supported each other through first jobs in far flung places, graduate and law school. They married in August of 2010.

After college, Evan leaned into his love of language and adventure. He worked at a hot dog factory in Costa Rica and then at a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, supporting democracy-strengthening programs in Latin America. Evan attended Stanford Law School in northern California and clerked for a federal judge in Puerto Rico.

It was in Puerto Rico where Evan and Laura had their son, Tim. They enjoyed exploring the island together and taking life slowly. Work opportunities brought them back to St. Paul, where they welcomed their daughter, Sasha. Evan loved Tim and Sasha with all of his heart. He was never happier than when reading with Tim and talking about the wide world. They were fierce wrestling competitors in the swimming pool. Evan cherished and supported Sasha’s creativity. He and Sasha could often be found working together on imaginative writing, self-publishing many stories and humorous cartoons together. Evan admired Sasha's joy for acting and was so proud watching her perform. In the evenings, Evan and Laura would get lost in long conversations, often staying up too late in the process. They connected over long walks with their dogs, Tilla and Penny. 

Evan continued his career in Minnesota, working in private law practice for the next 12 years, most recently for Maslon LLC. He dedicated significant time to his pro bono work, helping many organizations in the Twin Cities, and was recognized for his important work with many accolades. In his free time, Evan appreciated simple times with loved ones. Golfing with his mom, brother, and friends. Taking trips. Teaching his kids how to bodysurf in big waves. Evan was always reading— devouring any book, newspaper, or magazine in sight.

Evan faced chronic pain with quiet determination for most of his life, confronting it privately through research, physical therapy, and medical protocols. In recent months, Evan endured difficult injuries, his health challenges intensified, and his mental health suffered. He sought help and worked tirelessly to get better. Despite his courageous efforts and the devoted support of his family, Evan’s illness and pain became too much to overcome. 

Through it all, Evan remained a loving father, playmate, and partner to Laura, Sasha, and Tim. He will be dearly missed and loved forever.

Evan is survived by his loving wife Laura Berquist and two children, Tim and Sasha Berquist; parents Alice and Charles Berquist, brother Blake Berquist (Andrea Larson) and many family members and friends whom he loved. 

A memorial gathering for Evan Berquist will be held on Saturday, June 28, at 3:30 PM, at University of St. Thomas- James B. Wolf Alumni Hall, located in the Anderson Student Center (2115 Summit Ave, St. Paul, NE corner of Summit and Cretin Ave’s) with visitation beginning at 2PM until start of memorial service in James B. Wolf Alumni Hall.  Please join family in reception following service.  

Evan loved sharing perspectives, gathering storie, and writing down what he learned. We hope that gathering together and sharing in these ways will help us all remeber his brightness. Please consider writing someonthing on this tribute website for Evan. link to tribute website;    https://www.online-tribute.com/Evanberquist

In lieu of flowers, donations in Evan’s memory can be made to the Berquist Family.  Laura, Tim and Sasha will spend time talking about Evan’s big heart and commitment to service and carefully choose charity recipients in his name.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Evan C. Berquist, please visit our floral store.