Robert "Larry" Everhart

Robert L. “Larry” Everhart , age 86, of Moville, passed away on Sunday, July 21, 2019 at his residence of Moville. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, July 25, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. at the United Methodist Church of Moville with Rev. Harold E Werley officiating.  A visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 24, 2019 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Nicklas D. Jensen Funeral Home of Moville. Burial will be held at the Arlington Cemetery of Moville.

Robert Lawrence (Larry) Everhart, age 86, died July 21, 2019 at his home in Moville, Iowa. He was born on Dec. 15, 1932, in Moville to Miller Everhart and Lenore (Gustine) Everhart.

Larry married his wife Dianne (Pickens) Everhart on June 18, 1961, in South Sioux City, Nebraska. Larry and Dianne lived their entire life together in the same house in Moville, a home that Larry bought with cash for his new wife. There they raised four children: Deborah Ann Everhart, Robert Lawrence Everhart Jr., Mark Allen Everhart, and Michelle (Everhart) Walsh. They spent many summer days at their cabin on Lake Okoboji, Iowa, a house that Larry, his brother Neal, their father Miller, mother Lenore, and a friend built together in 1955. The Everhart family vacationed in 48 states, Canada, and Mexico. Larry and Dianne enjoyed several cruises and other travel, including Alaska and Hawaii to round out all 50 states.

In his early childhood, Larry lived with his parents on the fourth floor of the stately brick building his father Miller and Uncle Calvin built in 1929 at 233 Main Street in Moville. Larry went to school in Moville, where he was valedictorian of his high school class, and he earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in engineering at the University of South Dakota. He was a lifelong member of the Moville United Methodist Church, where his mother Lenore was a pillar of the church community and a longtime organist.

Larry and his brother Neal started their own business when they were teenagers by fixing up Wizard bikes and later cars and reselling them. This grew into a Ford dealership, Everhart Motor Company. At the time they initiated their Ford franchise, they were the youngest Ford dealers in the country. This well-respected business drew a loyal clientele from over a hundred miles away and served the region for 40 years. Larry’s wife, Dianne, was a very successful salesperson and bookkeeper for the business, winning numerous awards.

Car restoration was a passion of Larry’s for his entire life. He restored many classic Mustangs, Thunderbirds, Fairlanes, Torinos, and other vehicles to award-winning condition, including boats, bikes, and even an Indian motorcycle. Some of these were not only best-of-show cars, but also high performance racing vehicles, in which he and Neal won scores of drag races. Larry’s favorite was his custom modified black and white ’57 Fairlane 500, which set many long-standing racing records and was only beat once in its class by the national record holder. These amazing vehicles are part of the legacy he now leaves behind in Everhart Motor Museum in Moville.

Larry is survived by his wife of 58 years Dianne; their four children and their spouses, Deborah Everhart and Martin Irvine of Washington, DC, Robert and Cynthia Everhart of Madison, Wisconsin, Mark Everhart of Seattle, Washington, and Michelle and John Walsh of Lincoln, Nebraska; and seven grandchildren, Grace, Katelyn, and Nicholas Everhart, and Jacob, Michael, Matthew, and Madeline Walsh.
    

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