James Everts

MADISON - James A. Everts, 85, passed away Saturday, November 21, 2015. Jim was born January 8, 1930, on a dairy farm near New London, Wisconsin, the son of Walter and Ruth (Schuh) Everts. On June 14, 1953, he married Lois Hill at the Church of St. Mary in Elizabeth, Illinois.

Jim graduated from New London High School in 1947. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with a B.S. Degree in Agriculture, in 1952. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Officer Training Program and was assigned to the 8th Motor Transport Battalion. He served on active duty from 1952-1954, then in the Marine Corps Reserve until his honorable discharge in 1961 as a Captain.

Jim began a career with UW-Extension in 1954 as a 4-H Agent in Rock County. In 1960 he joined the UW Meat and Animal Science Department in Madison. He went on to obtain a Master's degree and Ph.D. from the UW-Madison. In 1969, Jim and his family moved to Eau Claire, where he was UW-Extension District Director for 12 western Wisconsin counties. In 1982, Jim and Lois returned to Madison, where he finished his career as State 4-H Program Leader. Jim received distinguished service awards from UW-Extension, Epsilon Sigma Phi, and 4-H. In 2014 he was inducted into the Wisconsin 4-H Hall of Fame.

After retiring in 1987, Jim was an active volunteer. He was an usher at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, AARP volunteer tax aide, driver for the Ronald McDonald House, past president and active member of Madison Chapter of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, and past Grand Knight and active member of Knights of Columbus Council #4527. He was a grower of award-winning dahlias and a past president of the Badger Dahlia Society.

Jim enjoyed many family vacation trips with children and grandchildren to places near and far. He was a lifelong deer hunter, a golfer, and enjoyed an annual fishing trip to Canada. In September 2015, he took the Badger Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., with his oldest son, Chris.

Jim was preceded in death by his wife Lois in 1997. He is survived by 5 children and 8 grandchildren: Chris Everts (Marguerite Lewis) and their children, Theresa and Daniel, of Peoria, Illinois; Kate Everts (Mark VanGessel) and their children, Frank, Carl, Claudia and Gladis, of Delmar, Delaware; Greg Everts (Carla McDonald) and their children, Matthew and Clare, of Madison; Bryan Everts (Corinne Campbell), of Coogee NSW, Australia; and Elizabeth Everts (Laura Rice), of Watertown, Massachusetts. He is survived by 5 siblings: Betty Lou Much of Fremont; Kenneth Everts of Bear Creek; Rosemary Kamps of Combined Locks; Wayne Everts of Salem; and Philip Everts of New London, Wisconsin. Jim is also survived by special friend Marcia Kirschbaum.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, November 28, at ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC PARISH, 602 Everglade Drive, with Father Bart Timmerman presiding. Friends and relatives may visit with the family from 9 a.m. until mass on Saturday at the church, and all are invited to a luncheon after mass.

Jim will be buried in the Church of St. Mary Cemetery in Elizabeth. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Parish or the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation.

To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com