Everett Harold Belter
March 1, 1929 – January 3, 2024
Everett Harold (Eep) Belter, age 94 of the Village of Palo Alto, passed away peacefully at home on January 3, 2024.
Everett was born on March 1, 1929 to Gustave and Martha (Quast) Belter in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army for WW2. Upon his honorable discharge he joined the Army Reserve and was subsequently called back up for the Korean conflict, again honorably discharged. During this time Everett had enrolled in the University of Wisconsin where he earned a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering and earned his M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering as well. Upon graduation he went to work for Columbia Gas Company. While working in Columbus he met a school teacher named Joanne Sayre and they were married on April 2, 1955. An opportunity arose to work for an engineering company named Bechtel and in 1957 they packed up and moved to California. That was the beginning of a wonderful career that took Everett all over the world working on projects such as the TRAPSA pipeline in Algeria, the Oasis pipeline in Libya, the Bay Area Rapid Transit line in California, the Alyeska pipeline in Alaska, and the Balmoral off-shore platform in Sweden.
Everett retired from Bechtel in 1985 and he and Joanne moved back to Houston where he consulted for a while, they then moved to Reno, NV. and built their dream home. After getting tired of the snow they decided to move and came to The Villages in 1997. It was exactly what they were looking for and the activities, clubs, and of course golf kept him busy, however Everett’s true passion was fishing, a passion he passed down to his children and grandchildren. He started The Villages Deep Sea Fishing Club and was the president until he retired a few years ago. He rarely missed an opportunity to get out on a Club charter. He also served as Chairman of the Club’s bi-annual fish fry. The Club was his most treasured activity and he poured his heart and soul into growing it and made friendships that will last an eternity.
Everett is preceded in death by his father Gustave and mother Martha (Quast) Belter, wife Joanne (Sayre) Belter, brother Walter and sisters Florence and Leola.
He is survived by sons Kurt and wife Barbara, Erik Belter, Kris and wife Renee, daughter Kim Lontz as well as 8 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.
There will be a Celebration of Life at Hope Lutheran Church, 250 Avenida Los Angelos, The Villages, FL 32162 on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 at 1:00pm. Immediately following will be a reception in the fellowship hall. Friends of Everett are encouraged to bring a dessert to share.
