Elvera Louise (Johnson) Knutson was born December 1, 1920 in rural Lincoln County, SD to parents Carl Theodore and Ellen Caroline (Anderson) Johnson. She died December 8, 2013 at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD at the age of 93 years and 7 days. Elvera attended Millbrook Rural School and graduated from Centerville High School in 1939. She married Elwyn "Bud" Knutson on October 11, 1939. The couple farmed in the Centerville, Wakonda and Irene areas until moving to Yankton in 1981. Elvera worked in the nursing field at the Human Services Center in Yankton for 28 years. She was a compassionate caregiver and valued the years spent there. In 1994 the couple returned to Centerville. Bud passed away in 2005. Elvera moved to Beresford in 2007 and resided until the present time at Bethesda Inn and Nursing Home where she was Resident Council President. Elvera was raised in the Brooklyn Evangelical Free Church and was currently a member at Scandia Lutheran in Centerville where she had been active in Circle and other church activities. Throughout her life Elvera was an avid gardener and member of the Centerville Garden Club and Daughters of the Nile. She enjoyed traveling, camping, and preparing Scandinavian dishes for the holidays. She had a gentle, loving spirit and a caring smile. Her greatest joy in life was her family and she took every opportunity to be with them. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, son-in-law Ronnie Twite and 6 siblings. She is survived by her six children, Darlene (Ardell) Lovejoy, Wakonda, Arlene Zoeller, Beresford, Kermit (Arnetta) Knutson, Storm Lake, IA, Bonnie (Frank) Seitzinger, Dakota Dunes, Virginia Christensen, Lennox and Marice (Cliff) Highstreet, Hurley; 17 grandchildren, 45 great grandchildren; her sister LeRena (Arlan) Ostrem, Beresford; two sisters-in-law, Marjorie Knutson, Wakonda and Dorothy (Dean) Ekern, Flandreau; and many nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Blessed be her memory. Funeral services will be held 2:00 PM, Thursday, December 12, 2013 at Scandia Lutheran Church, Centerville, with burial to follow at Holland Cemetery, rural Centerville. Visitation will be Wednesday from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM with a prayer service at 7:00 PM at Wass Funeral Home in Centerville.