Paul Everett Obituary – Press & Sun-Bulletin

Paul William Everett, 68, passed away on Jan. 1, 2023 at Wilson Hospital, after a decades-long battle with several major health issues, including Parkinsons, multiple myeloma, and heart disease. His death was unexpected, but he lived a life full of adventure, curiosity, humor, artistry, and an enthusiastic pursuit of whimsy. His family is grateful for the life he lived and relieved that he is no longer suffering. Paul was born in 1954 in Terre Haute, IN, to N Richard and Z Kathryn Everett. Even at a young age, he displayed a dizzying array of interests, from speech and debate on electronics to theology to whittling. He met the love of his life, Adele Jeffers, at a debate camp one summer during high school, and was so taken with her that he only applied to one college – the University of Evansville – because he knew that’s where she’d be going . The gamble paid off, and they were wed in 1975 at the age of 20; Paul would often tell people that he’d been “a child groom.” After graduating with dual degrees in Psychology and Chemistry, Paul went to work as a software engineer for IBM, where he would work for the entirety of his professional life in a variety of roles across decades of changes in computing technology. Paul and Adele moved to Endicott, NY in 1982, and had two sons: Joel C. Everett (Lane) of Clarksboro, NJ, and Isaac J. Everett (Katie) of Boston, MA, and two grandsons, Miles A. Everett and Nathan A. Everett, all of whom he loved spending time with. He was very proud of his family. Paul was a highly intelligent Renaissance man, and fell in love easily with new ideas, activities, folk music, and games. When he became interested in ham radio, the first thing he did was build a radio. When he became enamored of the hammer dulcimer, he began by spending a year and a half building one. When he grew interested in boats, he built two from scratch – a ten foot catboat and a thirty foot sleep-aboard peddle-paddle cruiser in which he celebrated his 50th birthday with a week-long (and very slow) cruise along the Erie Canal with his sister, Mary L. Everett of Minneapolis, MN. And even at the end of his life, he was still sketching boats to build after moving to Willow Point Nursing Home, where he received outstanding care for the last month of his life. Along the way, he earned a pilot’s license flying gliders, a Black Belt in karate, 2 patents, and numerous awards. He studied magic, mentalism, Tai Chi, and the traditional Japanese board game, Go. His musical pursuits included the French Horn, banjo, and harmonica in high school, and later in life, hammer dulcimer, bagpipes, Hayden Duet Concertina, recorder, raquet, and cornetto. He was introduced to the local folk scene in the 1980s at the Johnson City Coffee House and was an active presence in that community until the end of his life, founding a weekly jam session in Endicott specifically intended to support new musicians and publishing an informal collection of beginner friendly folk tunes. Finally, Paul was a man of deep faith, always intellectual and questioning, treasuring the pursuit of God’s mysteries and always solid in his love of God. He was a Deacon in his church, running the Deacons Pantry, a lay preacher for his Presbytery, a youth leader, and a Sunday School teacher for both youth and adults. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Jan. 14th at 1:00 pm at Living Hope Church in Endicott, NY, with a reception to follow. All are welcome to attend, and those who are unable to travel are welcome to join via livestream at https://www.youtube.com/@livinghopechurchendicott.

Posted online on January 06, 2023

Published in Press & Sun Bulletin