George (Woody) Woodman Everest

George Woodman (Woody) Everest, 95, of Boyne City, passed away Thursday, December 13, 2018 surrounded by his family at Hiland Cottage in Petoskey.

Woody was the eldest son of George and Marguerite (“Toots” Russ) Everest.

Woody was a lifetime resident of Boyne City. He was a member of the BCHS Class of 1941, as was his high school sweetheart Marie Coon. On April 6th, 1942, he and Marie married and in April 2018 celebrated their 76th wedding anniversary. Woody worked hard his entire life, beginning with working on Marie’s family’s dairy, helping to keep it operational during World War II. He then began working with his brother-in-law, Gil Coon installing furnaces all over the state, until their senior years when selling furniture was a little easier. When the store closed, Woody worked at Moore’s Hardware until he retired in 1985.

After their retirements, Woody and Marie could be seen taking their daily walks around town. When that got to be a little too precarious, they began walking the halls of Boyne City Middle School. The staff at Boyne City Middle School became very special to Woody. It was the highlight of his day to go for his walk. A special thank you to Debbie Day for making him feel so special, hanging birthday banners in the hall, making cards when he was ill, or just giving him a hug. And special thanks to the custodians that kept the door open for him, even on a “snow day”.

Another favorite part of his day was going to Subway. Woody had a Subway sandwich every day for lunch. The staff shoveled for him and made his order by just the show of a finger: 1 for one sandwich, 2 if Marie wanted one as well. The girls there made him feel so special. Thank you, Pat, and Charissa.

Another favorite thing of Woody’s was driving his truck. He always said “I may be 95, but I’m only 45 behind the wheel!”

Woody was a wealth of knowledge on Boyne City history, often contacted by City Hall and the District Library. He was also very proud of his family name and its roots, not missing a chance to point out that it was his relative that took part in engineering the Everest-Jennings wheelchair.

Woody was preceded in death by his parents, George and Toots, sisters Jean Hutton and Leta May Erber, and brother Jim Everest.

He is survived by his wife Marie, daughter Nancy (Alvin) Zeiss of Cheboygan, son John (Susan) Everest of Petoskey, sisters Marguerite Skop of Troy and Sue Adamski of Warren, brother Wayne Everest of Boyne City, 7 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great grandchildren, and many nieces & nephews and very special friends, including MaryEllen Long. She visited every morning and kept his driveway clear in the winter.

Visitation will be at Stackus Funeral Home on Thursday, December 20th, from 5PM-8PM. Funeral services will be at St. Matthews Church on Friday, December 21st at 11AM. Family will receive visitors from 10AM until the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hiland Cottage of Petoskey, or directed to Debbie Day at BCMS for classroom books or Camp Daggett Scholarships.

Family and friends wishing to share a thought or memory of Woody are encouraged to do so online at www.stonefuneralhomeinc.com.

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