Everett L. Waite

Everetts Never Ending Story by Dawn White It was a cold and blustery night and a family of four was gathered around the Christmas Tree. The matriarch of the group slowly rose to her feet, stood before them and began to speak It was a cold and blustery night and a family of four was gathered around the Christmas Tree. The matriarch of the group slowly rose to her feet, stood before them and began to speak It was a cold and blustery night and a family of four was gathered around the Christmas Tree. The matriarch of the group slowly rose to her feet, stood before them and began to speakHark! The herald angels sing! Get the doctor here NOW! Twas the night before Christmas in 1921 and Louis Elmo Waite and wife Verna (Belle) Waite, heavy with child, anxiously anticipated the arrival of the towns doctor by horse drawn sleigh. The Waites two children, Wesley and Audrie were attending the church Christmas program along with others from the small town of Manton, Michigan. After tipping over in the sleigh eight times on his way to the Waites country homestead, the doctor, at long last, arrived to assist in the birth of the couples 3rd child whom they would call Everett LeRoy. While the Waites did not have excess money in which to purchase Christmas gifts for the children this year, little Audrie had asked, hoped and wished for a doll. Oh, what a surprise Audrie had when she came home from the program on the eve of Christmas to find baby Everett, swaddled in blankets, lying in a shoebox underneath the Christmas tree! As one can imagine, Audrie truly believed that the newborn was her very own Christmas gift. Four more children would follow after the birth of Everett for a total of seven children born to the Waites Wesley, Audrie, Everett, Lois, John, Doris Dodie and Bruce. Wesley, the oldest child, was someone that Everett looked up to as a hero in his life. If you have watched the 1970s TV series The Waltons (A show Everett loved), you might understand this relationship in the terms that Wesley was Everetts John Boy. Everett often told the story of the time when his brother Wesley had gone off to work. Every time Wesley came home, he would bring a knotted sock full of money to open and would give each of his brothers and sisters a share. Everett says that his siblings would quickly spend their money but that he would always save his. This gift giving was a manifest of Wesleys love that Everett cherished and would never forget. Throughout his life, Everett could be described as a hard worker. He began working at the young age of just 5 years old transplanting seedlings in a nursery and later laboring in the celery fields. At age 14, Everett began working in the dairy, wrapping butter. While he was working at the dairy 6 days a week, Everett was also employed at a burger joint in downtown Grand Haven an additional two evenings a week. Everett remembered how, at the dairy, he would be allowed to take home the shavings of the butter to give to his mother and that his weekly wage at the burger joint was 53 cents plus a hamburger and a chocolate milkshake. Everett regrettably lost his job at the dairy because his mother would not allow him to work Easter Sunday, and for that, he was fired. When telling the story, Everett often added that it was his mother who suffered the most for this as she no longer received complimentary butter. As a young man, Everett proudly served his country in the United States Army. He enlisted on September 8, 1942 during World War II and had to talk the doctors into letting him in as the Army considered Everett too scrawny. He was first stationed in Inglewood, California guarding North American Aviation which was the major supplier of bombers during the war. Everett then served 19 months in the Aleutian islands of Alaska including Kiska, Adak and Attu. Everett was reassigned from the Aleutians to Advanced Infantry Training at Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg, Miss. When his training was completed, he received orders to go to India. On a 10 day furlough, he made it back to Manton and married Doris Wenger. He tried to get an extension of his furlough, but the Army had other plans for him. In Camp Kanchapara, India, Everett worked the night shift out of a motor pool driving a jeep. By his own admission, he had a cushy position with duties that included transporting cooks to the mess tents, Colonels to the Calcutta airport and, Everett added, killing bugs. While watching a newsreel at a movie (for which he had paid one bottle of insect repellent to see) Everett found out that a bomb equal to 15 tons of TNT had been dropped on a town called Hiroshima, Japan. Shortly thereafter the war was over and Everett went home. Everett and Doris Waite raised 5 children togetherRon, Wayne, Wanda, Gary, and Jerry. After working several jobs including a position as a traveling salesman, Everett found permanent employment as a shipping clerk at Bastian-Blessing in Grand Haven, maker of soda fountains. He would work there for the next 32 years. Wanda recalls from her childhood how her dad would stay in a trailer in Grand Haven during the work week and then make the 135 mile drive home to Manton every Friday night once work let out. She says that she could always count on the fact that her father would be there for them and not once in 11 years did he ever miss a weekend home. In fact, he was only ever late one time, by 2 hours, due to a severe snowstorm when Everett had a brief layover in Hesperia to wait out the storm. When Everett pulled into the driveway each Friday night, his 5 children would fight over who would meet dad to carry in his lunchbox. Each child wanted to be the first to find out if it contained any leftover sweets which it remarkably always did! One for each of them! Sadly Everett's first marriage ended in 1968. He continued to be a wonderful father to his children but was lonely and really believed God did not intend man to live out his days alone. He had known Ruth (Butler) Curtis for years as Audries sister-in-law and had always enjoyed her company. After Ruths husband Don passed away, even though she had her adult children, Marv and Linda, she too felt lost and alone. What a blessing it was for all of us that they fell in love and became Mom and Dad to our extended family. Everett and Ruth hatched a plan along with Bruce (Everetts younger brother) and his fianc, Marge, to secretly elope with a double wedding to be performed by the Mayor of Manton in his flower shop. The plan was to wait until they returned from Manton to announce to all that the two were now wed. Thankfully, someone caught wind of the plan in time and the adult children of Ruth and Everett promptly initiated their own covert operation as they all quickly made haste to the flower shop to crash the wedding. Ruth and Everett were pleasantly surprised as their new blended family joined together on November 5, 1975 in celebration of the birth of a beautiful union that would span 30 years. As a wedding gift, Everett bought Ruth a wedding ring and Ruth bought Everett a guitar. Marvs wife, Cherie, made the couple a memory book of the blessed occasion. One of Cheries photos ended up in the Manton newspaper along with her scrapbook headline that read, Mayor Issues Life Sentences. In October of 1976 Ruth and Everett bought a home together in Grand Haven, Michigan which would become the foundation where memories were made. One of the best places in the new house was the music room where Grandma would tickle the ivories and Grandpa would strum the chords of his guitar, leading us in song. The whole family would come together around the Christmas Tree each December in the finished basement that Marv helped build and all would join in massive Easter Egg hunts in the expansive backyard every spring. We would gather every Fathers Day to celebrate the gift of an incredible dad and grandfather who freely offered his unconditional love and treated us all impartially. It had often been said that whenever we were together no one could tell the difference between Everetts natural born grandchildren and Ruths grandchildren as Everett had the same glimmer in his eyes and treated us all just as if we had been born to him. Over the years Ruth and Everett enjoyed many travels together including a trip on the snow train in Canada, Niagara Falls, Pikes Peak, the glass factories in Ohio, a trip to New York to visit a nephew, an adventure in South Dakota to visit a grandson and many more. Even on a day-to-day basis the two would love to be out and about to such places as the Ravenna Flea Market, local garage sales, Shipshewana, or the greenhouse. Each morning I would wake up and wonder what adventures Ruthie would have in store for us, says Everett. Everett was a loyal and loving husband who was by Ruths side in sickness and in health, until death do us part. After being informed that Ruth was dying of cancer, Everett willingly set his needs aside to care for her until Ruths death on October 9, 2005. Everett was a tinkerer by nature a self proclaimed engineer - born years before his time. Many of Everetts family and friends would describe him as the smartest person they ever knew. He was into gadgets, electronics, computers and computer programming. He was the first one that we knew of to own a thing called a video camera and he loved to spend hours taping family gatherings. Oh, Dad! Oh, Grandpa! Please dont tape me! Put the camera away! But the camera continued to roll on and on and on and on which is why we have so many incredible recorded moments that we will be able to share with generations to come. It was extremely important for Everett to remember each family members birthday and to faithfully send a card on the day of the celebrated occasion. Just as Everetts children knew that he would be home each Friday night, we each knew that we would receive a birthday card in the mail each year on our birthday without fail. Last week on the eve of Lindas birthday, Everett suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. True to form, he worried about the birthday card and sent Charlie home to retrieve it and deliver it to Linda. When family called Everetts sister-in-law to inform her of Everetts passing, Joanne said that she already sensed something was wrong as Morey did not receive his birthday card from Everett in the mail. Grandpa had an exceptional ability to inspire lasting memories out of everyday experiences. Something as simplistic as an empty paper towel or toilet paper roll was instantly transformed when Grandpa colored some finger holes and began playing the unique instrument he dubbed the tootily-toot. One Easter Grandpa Everett patiently taught each of his grandchildren how to make a kite and we all flew them together in the field. The comb from Everetts pocket expertly strummed sounded like the reeling in of a fishing line as a sound effect to one of his many stories. Oh, and who didnt sit in eager anticipation to hear one of Grandpas tall tales? Everetts never ending story about the band of robbers, the account of the immortal cat, and the chronicles of how Everett survived his own suicide will undoubtedly be some favorites to be passed on from generation to generation. Born on Christmas Eve, Everett Waite was a gift not only to his parents and siblings, but most of all, an incredible man who was a genuine gift to all who knew him. Throughout his entire lifetime, Everett was a humble man who carried himself with honor and dignity, and who continually set aside his own needs to tend to the needs of others. He cherished his family as his most precious commodity and left a lasting legacy that will continue on in the ones he held most dear. Look around you today Everetts charity is in our hands, his unconditional love is in our hearts, and his kindness is on the faces that surround you. These are enduring qualities to be passed on to our children to be passed on to their children to be passed on to their children to be passed on to their children... He leaves us this Christmas with a true living version of Everetts Never Ending Story. Everette Waite Everett Waite of Grand Haven, MI passed away at Mercy Hospital in Muskegon on December 22, 2008, two days short of his 87th birthday. He was born on Christmas Eve, 1921 in Manton, MI to Elmo and Verna Waite. He proudly served in the US Army during World War II. Everett was preceded in death by his son Wayne and loving wife Ruth. Everett was retired from Bastian-Blessing in Grand Haven and spent several years as an antique dealer at W. Mich. Antique Mall. SURVIVORS He will be sorely missed by his children, Ron Waite and Wanda and Bill Avery of Manton, MI; Gary Waite of Florida; Jerry Waite of Lowell, MI; Marv and Cherie Curtis of Marne, MI; and Linda and Charlie Mollsen of Grand Haven, MI. He will be deeply missed by his grandchildren, Kathy Reed of Connecticut; Dawn and Justin White of Wyoming, MI; Teresa Avery of Manton, MI; Barb Waite of Cadillac, MI; Jeff and Sharry Curtis of Ludington, MI; Jennie Curtis and Jason Smith of Wyoming, MI; Amber Pierce, Courtney Pierce and Deanna Pierce of Grand Haven, MI; Ben and Erin Pierce of Minneapolis, MN; Robbie Mollsen of Muskegon, and Brittany, Lori Beth and Matt Waite of Lowell, MI. Great-grandchildren, Corey, Kody, Jorden, Ashley, Matt, Mia, Ariana, Alysa, Bryce, Jocelynne, Izzy, Amy, Kolton, JJ, Savannah, Lincoln and great-great grandchild, Braylin will miss their Grandpa. Everett also leaves behind his sisters and brothers, Dodie and Roy Johnson of Spring Lake, and Bruce and Marge Waite of Interlochen, Florida and Ruth's brothers and sisters. The family wishes to express deep appreciation to Dad's "other family" the staff and friends at the Davita Dialysis Center in Grand Haven. SERVICE Friday, December 26, 2008, 12:00 PM at the Clock Chapel-Grand Haven with Rev. Gary Lacy officiating. Interment at Lakeshore Cemetery. VISITATION Friday, 10 AM - Noon at Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Grand Haven. MEMORIAL: National Kidney Foundation. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to leave a memory or sign the online guest book. Clock Life Story- Grand Haven