John Robert Everett, 81, of De Pere, Wisconsin passed peacefully on Saturday, June 29th. He was at home on his beloved farm with his family at his side. Born May 31, 1943, in Somerville, New Jersey to John Edgar & Dorothy (Smith), he was raised on the family farm working alongside his father, brothers and grandfather . He would often talk about the stories his grandfather told him about farming in the early 1900s. John started to purchase his own equipment, land and animals separately from the family farm when he was only 19, and he & his family built up Ever Lea Farms to be a very successful registered Holstein dairy & crop operation.

John was frequently the winner of corn growing contests both at the state & national level. One paper quoted "his corn is as high as an elephant's eye". He always said there was nothing more he wanted to be than a good steward of the land. At its height in the early 1980s, Ever Lea Farms supported four families, had 400 head of registered Holsteins and 1,000 acres of land farmed. John attended North Carolina state for one year & Rutgers university for another year studying agronomy, but he could not stand sitting inside when he could be in the fields. His restlessness paid off when he was awarded New Jersey Young Farmer of the Year. Throughout his years he served on many committees and was chairman of the board of directors for Federal Land Bank/Farm Credit Services for several terms.

In February of 1970, a mutual friend set John up with a nursing student, Charlene Stoecker, and they went on a snowmobiling date. He asked Charlene to marry him on their second date, and they were married August 1, 1970, at South Branch Reformed Church. Together, they raised three girls on the farm, teaching them to love God, their family, and farm life.

John and his wife were very active in their community and children's lives. They were 4-H leaders of the club John's father was a charter member of, New Center Dairy, and they started a Loan-A-Calf program, allowing non-farm kids to show calves through the 4-H program. John, his brothers & father decided to sell the milking herd in December of 1987, so they then raised heifers & pigs and started a vegetable stand.

In 1992, John realized a lifelong dream - purchasing his own farm in the Midwest. John and Char courageously left everything and everyone they knew and moved to De Pere, Wisconsin.

In De Pere, John and Char started Ever Lea Farms Custom Heifer Raising operation. John continued to be a mentor to young kids - this time his grandchildren and their friends, allowing them to show calves, pigs, goats and sheep at the fair. When one grandson showed an interest in pigs at 3 years old, he received piglets for his next birthday. When another wanted chickens, they appeared on the farm next. He was never happier than when his grandkids were on the farm with him, and he had the distinct honor of giving each of his eight grandkids their very first taste of ice cream! John officially retired from farming in April 2014, but he continued working his large orchard and garden while raising a few steers.

John is survived by his loving wife of nearly 54 years, Charlene, his three daughters and their spouses, Jennifer (Patrick) Van De Hei of De Pere, Sandra (James Sr) Hankerson of Tampa, FL and Susan (Eric) Planert of De Pere, grandchildren Callista (Jordan) Woldt, Logan and Blake Van De Hei, James Jr and Hannah Hankerson, Emilie, Lucas and Jack Planert. He is further survived by his sister Judy Coates, brother Steven (Donna) Everett and sister-in-law Kris Everett, and Charlene's family - his mother-in-law Jean Stoecker, brother-in-law Henry (Diane) Stoecker and sister-in-law Terry (Don) Conyers. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews that he loved as his own.

John was preceded in death by his parents John & Dorothy, his brother Thomas Everett, brother-in-law Richard Coates, father-in-law Henry Stoecker, and sister- & brother-in-laws JoAnn & Tom Delazzari.

The family would like to thank the staff of Heartland Hospice for their loving care of John this past week.

Visitation will be held Monday, July 15 from 4-7pm at Ryan Funeral home in De Pere and will resume on Tuesday, July 16 from 10-11am at First United Presbyterian Church in De Pere. A funeral service will follow at 11am officiated by The Rev. Dr. Luke Farwell and the Rev. Meggan Farwell.