Obituary

On July 6^th, 2022, an exceptional being, Joelle Lyons Everett, left this earth to become a bright star in the firmament. She passed away peacefully at home in Shelton, WA with her loving husband and family at her side.

One in a billion, Joelle was born on August 25, 1939, in Spokane, WA to Daniel and Alice Lyons.

Joelle graduated from Central High School in Spokane in 1957 as Valedictorian with a GPA of 4.0. A brilliant student, she was awarded a National Merit Scholarship, and attended the University of Washington where she earned a Bachelor’s of English Writing and Master’s of Library Science.

While attending UW Joelle met the man who would be her husband of 60 years, John Paul Everett. They married on August 26, 1961, in Spokane WA.  Joelle and Paul built a wonderful life together. They shared the joy of raising 4 sons and watching their families grow.  They enjoyed foreign adventures abroad and explored the US and Canada. Together they studied, philosophized, learned, forgave, and grew as a couple and as individuals.

Joelle later created her own Organizational Development consultancy, Sound Resources-Innovation and Applied Imagination, where her focus was enabling others to thrive in their organizations and places of employment. For over thirty years it was the perfect application for her diplomatic, caring nature. She also contributed her talents helping woman-led organizations in the US and Russia to thrive.

Their home on seven forested acres of waterfront on the Puget Sound was her sanctuary. She maintained her own writing cabin on the property, from which she published a collection of her poetry. She filled the cabin and house with well over 100 books curated as a long-standing member of a woman’s book club. Joelle was an accomplished violinist and artist creating beautiful color renditions of the flora that surrounded her. Her home was the place where her calm, deliberate, contemplative spirit could be given full reign.

Joelle’s kindness, her gentle, loving, welcoming spirit will be dearly missed.

She is survived by husband Paul; sons Aaron, Hugh, John, and David; 8 grandchildren; 5 great grandchildren; and siblings Glenn Lyons, Mary Alice Ripley, and Alane Spight. She is preceded in death by her parents, brother Daniel Lyons, and granddaughter, Tiffaney Wear.

A graveside service will be held on Thursday July 21, 2:00pm at Bayview Cemetery, 1420 Woburn St, Bellingham WA. A reception will follow at Moles Farewell Tributes, 2465 Lakeway Dr., Bellingham, WA.

In lieu of flowers memorial may be made to Doctors Without Borders, doctorswithoutborders.org, 40 Rector St., 16^th Floor, New York, NY. 10006, or a charity of your choosing.