Robert Thomas Everetts

Robert T Everetts passed away November 6, 2024 at the St Aloisius Hospital in Harvey ND after a short battle with cancer. Robert was born on July 17, 1935 in Dickinson, ND to Raymond T. Everetts and Margaret L. (Schultz) Everetts, their only child. When he was a baby, his parents moved to Jamestown, ND where his father started the road construction company Everett’s and Kelso that became Everetts and Associates and some point. 

His parents purchased and added onto a house in Jamestown with Klaus Park as their back yard. He told many stories of his childhood such as swimming in a rock-lined pond that the civil engineers constructed in part of the James River. He also told of winning several ice-skating ribbons from races on the James River in the winter. Robert told of many days in the summers spending time at the Medora family shack and riding horses. He has often told stories of his uncle, who rode the broncs in Medora area rodeos, when he as a young boy. Robert was thrilled to go watch.

As a child, he attended multiple grade schools across many states due to his father managing road construction crews at different state sites. His mother was busy with the business side of the company at this time. In his teens he would work for Everett’s and Associates and attended Jamestown High School where he studied and played football. He would graduate and go onto Jamestown College to play football and complete a liberal arts degree.

After college he joined the military and entered the Navy and served in the Seabees (United States Naval Construction Forces). He served for four years. One of those years was spent in Guam and he was also stationed in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, Hawaii and California during those years.

Robert also began his passion of racing stock cars and motorcycles in the 1950’s. During the 1950’s -1970’s he raced the local area circuit with stock cars and motorcycles in the tri-state area. Robert also started racing sprint cars in the 1960’s. Robert owned and operated a dirt bike track for several years in the 1970’s out by Spiritwood Lake, ND.

Robert’s friend, Jack Dockter, told a story that after both got out the service they took off to California to Robert’s friend Joe’s house where Robert had left a 1958 CH Harley sportster while stationed in California. His friend Joe had a 1950’s Velocette motorcycle at that time. Joe took them to a nearby circle 8 flat track where they would practice racing. Jack said it did not end well when Jack banged up Joe’s bike. But they had a great time in the end.

Robert returned to Jamestown where he met and married Diane J. (Nitschke) Everetts on December 28, 1959, in St. James Basilica Church in Jamestown ND. Diane passed away on July 5, 2012.

He also went back to work for his dad at Everett’s and Associates in Jamestown until the death of the main owner, his father, Ray Everetts, in 1964. Everetts and Associates was sold after Ray Everetts’ death.

Robert over the years also lived in Jamestown, ND; Spiritwood Lake, ND; Bottineau, ND; and Harvey, ND. He even spent a short time in West Texas in the late 1980’s with his daughters. 

Robert and Diane Everetts had four children. Their son, Cord Everetts (Margie B); and three daughters; Dynella (Dale) Schmitz; Bridget Harkness; and Kathleen Hoornaert, all mourn his loss as well as four grandchildren; Michael (Teresa) Chaney; James Schmitz; Dillon Schmitz and Joshua (Crystal) Harkness, along with one great-grandchild, Celty Harkness.

Robert’s hobbies in his younger years were leather tooling, racing motorcycles, stock cars, sprint car racing, hunting and fishing. Eventually that gave way to cross country skiing, trap shooting and archery competitions, at the state level, and enjoying nature. He also has enjoyed creating his own private engineered drawings of houses, cars, and motorcycles. Robert has left behind hundreds of such drawings. He also enjoyed a good card game of poker or Whist, where we would see Robert’s competitive side come out.