In Memory of Dadski Everett Blauvelt 1916-2013

IN MEMORY OF EVERETT A. BLAUVELT

JANUARY 14, 1916 – APRRIL 21, 2013

On his 97th birtday with Lili Blauvelt - Jan 14, 2013

This morning Dadski Everett Blauvelt gracefully took his last breath, and departed on his eternal journey to be with God. He lived his life to the fullest, and I have come to admire this man for the last 36 years!

It’s a great personal loss to me. He has been a great father figure to me since 1977, and the Mike part of my name was his calling and I am here in the United States because of him. I have affectionately called him Dadski along with his daughters and son.

My family and I mourn his loss along with his wife Lily, daughter Mary and her husband Mike, son Ashley and his wife Shirley and their family, daughter Becky, her husband Paul and their family – and the extended family and close friends.

The funeral will be arranged next week. He was a devout Mormon.

God willing, I will be writing a full tribute on him, to express my gratitude and respect for this great man – Everett Blauvelt.

A few days ago, I wrote a note about him, which I have reposted, following a profile composed by Mary Blauvelt;

Beloved “Dadski” - Lieutenant Everett Ashley Blauvelt, U.S.N.R

Everett Ashley Blauvelt, Lieutenant, U.S.N.R.  Born January 14, 1916 on the kitchen table at home in Vallejo, California to Lt. Commander George Russell Blauvelt and Effie Mary Ryan Blauvelt.  He had two brothers and two sisters:  George Russell, Jr. (who died at 3 months of age), Helen, Lloyd and Edith. 

Because his father was in the Navy, the family moved around in California and Washington.  Dad worked at various jobs at a young age to help support the family during the depression.  He graduated from Bremerton (WA) High School in 1934, went to work as a general helper in the Navy yard for a few months, then signed up for Forestry at the University of Washington for two years.  Then went to Metropolitan Business College in Seattle where he took courses in accounting. 

He worked at various jobs, and then in 1940 got a job working on a Navy supply ship that hauled materials to build an air base in Sitka, Alaska.  In January, 1942, he left that job, went back to Seattle and applied for the Navy, completed preflight training and went to navigation school.  He was then given his commission as an Ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve and obtained his navigator wings.  He was assigned to V Bomber 107 Squadron (he was an aerial navigator in a B24 Liberator), South Atlantic Fleet and stationed in Natal, Brazil where his job was convoy and anti submarine work between Natal and Ascension Island. 

In 1943 Everett was transferred to Dallas (where he met and married Norma LaVerne Blauvelt) and then was transferred to navigation school in Shawnee, Oklahoma. 

In June, 1946 he retired from the Naval Reserves and went to work for Aramco in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia as an accountant.  During the 12 years he worked for Aramco, he and his family (LaVerne, Ashley and Mary) vacationed extensively in Europe, the Middle East and the Orient. 

 In 1958 he purchased a sporting goods store in Lake Tahoe, California and the family settled there for 10 years.  In 1968, the store failed and he obtained a job in Vietnam working for Pacific Architects and Engineers.  He later divorced and met and married, Hue Thi Blauvelt (“Lili”) and they had a daughter, Rebecca.  He moved the family to California, where he worked for a few years at Philco Ford, then moved the family to Dallas and he went back to work in Saudi Arabia and worked for Fluor corporation, dba as Fluor Arabia in Uthmaniyah, Saudi Arabia until he retired in 1981.  He joined the Mormon church and is a devout Mormon.  He is a man of wit, charm and principle.  He is our Beloved Dadski.

Praying for Dadski
http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/04/praying-for-dadski-everett-blauvelt.html

PRAYING FOR DADSKY EVERETT BLAUVELT

These pictures were taken on January 14, 2013 – on the 97th birthday of my friend. I have been visiting him at the Nursing home for the last three days, this morning I went with my son and daughter to see him. He was sleeping… and I quietly whispered “Dadsky”, and he opened the eyes, stretched his hand and acknowledged, and also acknowledged Jeff and Mina. That was a blessing to me and I felt good that I was able to connect with him in his last few days. 

When I lost my father in 1977, Everett and I were working in Saudi Arabia, I was in Shedgum and he was in Uthmaniyah, both were managing the finance departments of Fluor Arabia in the Eastern Province, it was a gigantic $5.3 Billion Natural Gas Liquificiation facility, the largest of its kind in the world at that time.

Caring as he is, he would ask about my family and always was lending his ears to hear me out. He became a father figure to me and has been one for the last 35 years! Even now, when he was in fairly good health a year ago, he always asked about Yasmeen, Jeff, Fern and Mina, and at times he has asked about Ella, Jeff and Mina’s mother.

He has hung the small gift I brought for him from Australia and pointed it out to me; he looks up and thinks about me. What a great soul he is! This is a great lesson we all can learn – to care about others and listen to the ones we care. I have been doing that, but I need to do more of it.

The “Mike” part of my full name; Mike Mohamed Ghouse is his gift, he affectionately called me Mike, and when I came to the United States, I made that a legal part of my name. Indeed, I was wondering on Friday night, if I would have ever come to the United States, had he not encouraged me. One day, he actually told me to go the US Embassy in Dhahran, and I asked him why, he said go there now and I did, the US Embassy handed the passport to me with a visa stamped on it, he asked me to stay at his home in Richardson and I stayed with Lily, Becky and his family for about 4-5 months before I moved out on my own. I am grateful to Lily; she fixed food for me, as I had no idea of cooking at that time.

He is in his last few days at the hospice and I have been praying for him. He is happy and ready to be beamed up. He has lived his life well, a life of caring and positive energy. I love the peaceful smile of a winner on his face. He is the first Mormon I met in life and is a great example of being a good Mormon.

URL -http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/04/in-memory-of-dadski-everett-blauvelt.html