Everett Clinton Sanders

Everett Clinton Sanders was born March 29, 1927, at his parents’ two-room house at 331 E. Pine St., Othello. He passed away quietly just before dawn July 28, 2011, in the same town he was born and lived in all his 84-plus years.

Everett was always a working man from his first job for the Milwaukee Railroad, calling train crews after school 4 p.m. to midnight at age 8. For almost 30 years, he proudly worked for the Milwaukee Railroad as rip-track, roundhouse mechanic, heavy equipment and crane operator.

Everett enlisted with the U.S. Navy in 1944 and later returned to work for the railroad as diesel engines replaced steam- and electric- 
powered trains.

He also worked many years as a heavy equipment operator building the Lower Monumental Dam, third powerhouse at Grand Coulee Dam, Lower Granite Dam and many miles of the irrigation canal system. Everett also worked as a heavy equipment operator building the I-90 freeway and many other road projects.

He returned to the Milwaukee Railroad until it closed in 1980 and then went to work for the East Irrigation District as a heavy equipment operator, retiring in 1995.

After retirement, he especially enjoyed going to see the many wonders of Alaska with his second wife Evalyn, seeing their son Sandy in Fairbanks and deep sea fishing in Prince William Sound.

Evalyn was the 1 millionth visitor to the Seattle World’s Fair. Everett’s first wife Dawn passed away in 1961 of cardiac arrest.

His hobbies included family activities in boating, skiing, stock car racing, car shows, working on classic cars and maintaining their five-acre home place.

Everett outlived two wives, provided for and co-raised two families in the same house he built with his own two hands some 62 years ago.

He was no stranger to true public service. Everett was a volunteer fireman, trained by the Milwaukee Railroad before Othello had a fire department. In 1949, he was badly burned while fighting a hot summer prairie fire threatening Othello. He served as Othello fire chief in 1954.

Everett is survived by three sons Jim, Sandy (Judy) and Dan (Cherri) and four grandchildren Daniel, Dakotah, Makinna and Evalyn Maryann.

Everett was preceded in death by his early area pioneer parents Orley F. Sanders and Bonnie Vivian Barton-Sanders, his wives Dawn Elaine Hoehn-Sanders and Evalyn Mae Heath-Van Vliet-Sanders and his sister Belvia Ruth Sanders-Ellis.

Graveside services were Wednesday, Aug. 3, at Bess Hampton Memorial Gardens. Services were by Stevens Funeral Home. Rev. Bob Luhn officiated.