William Carter Everett 1935-2019
William Carter Everett (Bill), age 83, of Mystic, Connecticut passed on and joined his loved ones in heaven on Monday, May 13, 2019. He was born on August 16, 1935 in Manhattan, New York to the late Boyd Nixon Everett and Margaret Carter Everett.
William Everett valued education. He attended Yale University for his undergraduate studies in Industrial Engineering. Afterwards, he became the fifth generation of Everetts to pursue the field of law, graduating from Harvard Law School in 1960. During his law school tenure, one evening Bill attended a mixer between Harvard men and Radcliffe ladies. He was immediately attracted to the comely Joyce Friend who was selflessly minding the reception desk. After surveying the room, Bill decided to go back and talk to the sweet, smart, and pretty girl who had so impressed him at the reception area. They spent the entire event talking, and later went out for coffee.
The two were married in November of 1961 at her parent’s home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ever the romantic, Bill was sworn in to the North Carolina Bar in Charlotte while on his honeymoon to the Outer Banks. As they traveled around North Carolina, Bill and Joyce were impressed with the mountains of the Asheville region. In 1992 they bought land in this area with a cabin, and over the years spent many happy times there.
After brief stints studying electrical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and working for the Navy at Charlotte, NC, Bill settled in as a patent attorney at the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, DC. In 1965 Bill was lured away to become the patent attorney at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics in Groton, CT, where he would spend the next 27 years of his career in various roles. Bill and Joyce fell in love with Mystic, and decided to set down roots and raise their family there.
Bill was very civic minded. He served on the Zoning Board of Appeals from 1972-1982. Like Joyce, he was passionate about preserving history; he served as the Mystic River Historical Society treasurer from 2011-14; and was also on the Historical Commission. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club, and served as both its Treasurer (2011) and later, its President. He and Joyce attended Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Mystic, where he was active in the Choir and also served on the Vestry. He and Joyce also sang with the Westerly Chorus from 1969-1984. In 1992-93, he participated in the John Mason Statue Committee, voting to move the statue from Mystic Hill. He was a member of the Stonington Country Club, the Thames Club of New London, and the Bobby Burns Society.
Bill was passionately interested in classical music, literature, foreign languages and culture, bridge, and golf. He and Joyce enjoyed attending the New York Metropolitan Opera, as well as local concerts at the Gard Theater, the East Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, the Connecticut Lyric Opera, Summer Music, and other events. He also enjoyed traveling with Joyce who, as an amazing travel agent, was always planning the best adventures! Bill was valued by his close friends for his unassuming brilliance and perspective, and his good nature.
Bill was predeceased by his brother, Peter, who died at age 35 while climbing Mt. Dhaulagiri in the Himalayas with a Harvard climbing group. Bill is survived by two brothers and a brother-in-law: Torrey Everett and his wife Carole, of Delray Beach, Florida; Dr. Bruce Everett, and his wife Joan, of Whittier, California; and Captain John Friend, and his wife Pat, of Vienna, Virginia. He is also survived by three sons: Carter Everett, and his wife Marie, of Winter Park, Florida; James Everett, and his wife Aghaghia, of Kentfield, California; and Robert Everett, and his wife Angi, of Asheville, North Carolina. His four grandchildren were some of his greatest joys: Mimi, Willa, Jack, and Sam. Additionally, he is survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 17, at 11:00am at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 15 Pearl Street, Mystic. Memorial donations may be made to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, in Asheville, North Carolina.
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