Everett D. Reamer passed peacefully on October 20, 2017. He was born January 20,1925 at the Reamer home in Elizabethtown, OH to Alma Hall Reamer & Walter Earl Reamer. Everett was one of nine children: 4 brothers; Paul, Raymond, Walter, Jr. & Irvin; 4 sisters: Harriet Jennings, Evelyn Dunning, Marjorie Reamer & Ruth Early. Everett attended schools in Three Rivers School District in Cleves, North Bend, OH. He held miscellaneous jobs as a young boy & began driving a car at age 12, to deliver mail to adjacent towns.
Everett joined the US Army at the age of 16. At his insistence, his father signed papers saying he was 18 years old. Everett was sent to Corregidor Island in the Philippines for basic traing & was serving the 60th Coast Artillery (AA) when the Japanese started WWII. Everett was a fuse-range setter on a 3" antiaircraft gun defending a 12" coastal battery at the entrance to Manila Bay. Corregidor was over-run by Japanese forces early May 1942. Everett was captured by the Japanese on May 7, 1942, held at POW Camp Cabantuan #3 until early October 1942. He was sent to Japan on Hellship Totori Maru arriving at Osaka Camp #1 on November 11, 1942, to perform slave labor. In August 1944, Everett was tortured for 28 days then put in Solitary Confinement at Osaka Sakai Prison on September 18, 1944, where he was held till the war ended. On August 22, 1945, he was released from solitary by the Japanese. He was recovered by the US military on September 6, 1945 at Kobe, Japan. Everett was flown to San Francisco for medical treatment & further hospitalization. He was discharged on November 11, 1946. This ended 4 1/2 years overseas duty. Everett served in the US Army 5 years & 9 months. For his service, Everett was awarded numerous medals: including the Bronze Star, 2 Purple Hearts & a Presidential Unit citation with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters.
Everett's first wife, Ala Patterson, preceded him in death. Together they raised one daughter, Marjorie Barnowski & 2 stepdaughters, Betty Kadar & Violet Mycek. Everett was also preceded in death by his second wife, Bernice Cole Reamer and is survived by their two children: Everett Clay Reamer (Cindy) of North Bend, OH & Melissa Reamer Ludwig (David) of Oak Grove, MN, by his son-in-law, Frank Barnowski, by his stepdaughter Betty Jane Kadar, by his sister Ruth Early, by his grandchildren Annette, Elise, Emma, Cole, Megan & Cody, & his great grandchildren, Zachary, Zachary, Zoey, Abram, Greyson, Zeeva & Ellot & also by nieces & nephews.
Everett was employed for several years at National Steel & General Motors Corp. as a supervisor until he retired on disability in February, 1976. He was a member of the Miller Stockum Post #485 American Legion, the VFW, the DAV, the Military Order of the Purple Heart & served as National Commander of the American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor (ADBC) including Wake & Guam Islands (all American POW's captured by the Japanese). Everett was a member of the North Bend Lodge #346 F&AM & the Scottish Rite Valley of Cincinnati and received Masonry's honorary 33rd degree in 2001 at Pittsburgh, PA.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, October 24, 7-9 PM at the Dennis George Funeral Home, 44 S. Miami Ave., Cleves, OH 45002 where the funeral will be held Wednesday, October 25 at 10:30 AM. North Bend Lodge #346 F&AM & the Scottish Rite Ring Services will be offered Tuesday, October 24, 8 PM at the funeral home. Interment, following the funeral service, will be made on the Reamer lot at Riverview Cemetery in Aurora, IN. In lieu of flowers, Everett prefers memorials to the Scottish Rite Learning Center of Cincinnati, c/o the funeral home.
May God grant Everett peace in the presence of his Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.