'Still So Much Life' Year After Parents Killed During Sandy

Wounds heal over time, but some cut so deep the scars will never fade.

A single gust of wind and felled tree turned the Everett family of six into just four in the matter of seconds on Oct. 29, 2012.

That’s when Superstorm Sandy blew through New Jersey and wreaked havoc on homes, businesses, and residents alike.

Beth and Rich Everett, along with their two youngest children—sons Pierce and Theodore—were traveling from their business, the Long Valley-based Blue Crest Riding Center, to their Randolph home the night Sandy touched down.

In the blink of an eye, while trying to navigate a way through Mendham Township due to closed roadways, a massive tree came crashing down on the family’s pick-up truck, killing both parents in the front seat.

The Everett boys were able to escape the wreckage without major physical injuries.

“I didn’t know what I was walking into when I responded,” said Mendham Township Police Sgt. Ross Johnson, who was the first person on the scene. “Once I figured out what we were dealing with, I called for everyone – police, first aid, firefighters – and our guys got there.”

Four children, including the boys’ older sisters Zoe and Talia, were orphaned with just a gust of wind.

Community Cares

While the tragedy changed the lives of many that night, it was the community that stepped forward and took action to aid the youngsters. Oldest sibling Zoe Everett was a freshman at Rutgers University at the time, and automatically assumed the role of parent to her younger siblings.

That night resonated with officials in Mendham Township, who felt like their efforts at the scene just weren’t enough.

“In this line of work, we’ve seen tragedies, and we deal with it in our way,” Johnson said. “But it was the kids. The kids being part of this whole thing made it that much worse.”

All four Everett children appeared on NBC’s Today Show Tuesday morning, and thanked the community for their help.

“We didn’t do this just to be on TV,” Zoe Everett said in the segment. “We wanted to tell the community and everyone who helped us out ‘thank you.’ The first responders deserved a huge thank you.”

Those first responders, along with Mendham Township’s Office of Emergency Management Director Evan “Buzzy” Thomas, took the aid into their own hands, and sent the four children on a trip to Disney World last spring.

The idea was borne from a conversation Thomas had with Zoe Everett about a month after the tragedy.

“It was the first time I met anyone from the family,” Thomas said. “Zoe had mentioned about the four of them just getting away from everything and being able to bond. That’s when I thought we should send them to Disney. At that point, we were going to make sure it happened.”

Thomas, along with Mendham Township’s Scott Mortenson, presented the trip to the family on Christmas Eve, much to their surprise.

“The kids started crying – they couldn’t believe it,” Thomas said.

“We didn’t do this for thanks,” said Johnson. “We did it because it was the right thing to do.”

Over the past year Thomas has kept in close contact with the four kids, and said they’re doing very well. “They’ve come a really long way, even since the summer,” Thomas said, referring to their openness about the tragedy on the Today Show.

The family sold Blue Crest Riding Center to Birchwood Real Estate in June for $1,248,000, according to tax records. Zoe Everett’s horse, however, will stay there forever, Thomas said.

“There’s still so much life,” Zoe Everett, now 19 and the legal guardian of her younger siblings, said in the TV segment. “Life is still so good.”