From men and women in business to prisoners behind bars, the Rev. Paul Everett made ministering to others a way of life. Rev. Everett died of melanoma at his home in Sherman, Conn., last Wednesday. He was 81.

In the late 1950s when he felt like his career was crumbling around him, Rev. Everett met a fellow buyer at Macy's New York who became a catalyst for his strong faith in God. That meeting eventually led to Rev. Everett's work as a Presbyterian minister, ordained into a predecessor of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and executive director of The Pittsburgh Experiment, an ecumenical outreach to working people, to help them experience a life-changing faith in Jesus and pass that faith along to others.

Rev. Everett also wrote "The Prisoner," in 2005, a biography of a man who spent time in prison for murder before experiencing a spiritual awakening.

Rev. Everett spent his life working with others, as a sounding board and advice-giver.

"He was comfortable with men and women in corporate offices and people on the street," Rev. Everett's wife, Margaret, said.

"He was very open to helping people find their own way."

Nancy Lee Cochran, president of Cochran and Associates, a local fundraising firm, had known Rev. Everett for 20 years and said his motivation came from sharing God in every aspect of life.

"There are thousands of people in greater Pittsburgh who are equipped to share their faith because of Paul, and that's a great legacy."

David Dunlap, a vice president with BNY Mellon Treasury Services Group, knew Rev. Everett for more than 25 years and remembered encouraging phone calls that helped him through business challenges.

"He exemplified what a Christian person is supposed to be. He lived those principles each day."

The Rev. Kevin Gourley knew Rev. Everett for 20 years and called him a mentor.

Through meetings held monthly over lunch with Rev. Everett, Rev. Gourley developed a deeper faith and reflected on his spiritual journey.

"When you were near him it was as if you were the only person in the world," Rev. Gourley said.

"There were no distractions. You were it."

A favorite Scripture of Rev. Everett's said, "Be still and know that I am God." "He lived that," Rev. Gourley said. "Paul had a real nonanxious presence about him."

After being diagnosed with melanoma in 2008, Rev. Everett lived by words on a plaque in his family room that said, "Attitudes are more important than facts."

He knew the facts of his disease, but didn't let them impact his attitude as he continued to be a witness to others who also were going through troubling times, Mrs. Everett said.

About 15 years ago, when faced with the possibility of cancer, Rev. Everett did not allow his faith to falter, Rev. Gourley said.

"He said, 'If cancer brings me closer to God, then bring it on.' "

In addition to his wife, Rev. Everett is survived by a daughter, Jennifer of Sandwich, Mass., a son, Christopher of Pawling, N.Y., and four grandchildren.

Donations can be made to The Pittsburgh Experiment, 325 Oliver Ave., Third Floor, Pittsburgh 15222, or the American Cancer Society, Vassar Brothers Medical Center, 45 Reade Place, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.

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