Harold Elsworth "Chip" Everling Jr.

Harold E “Chip” Everling passed away peacefully September 4,2026 in Charles Town, WV with his wife, Elsa, at his side. He was 83 years old.

Harold E. “Chip” Everling came into the world on September 19,1942 in Portsmouth, OH to Harold E “Monk” Everling, Sr and Frances Oliver Everling, both of New Boston, OH. Born during World War II while Monk was serving in the US Army, the family criss-crossed the country during Chip’s young life, and eventually landed back in West Portsmouth, OH. Chip started school in West Portsmouth, blossomed in sports and academics throughout high school at Washington Township High School (now Portsmouth West), graduating with honors in 1960. As a youth, Chip enjoyed spending time with extended family throughout the Portsmouth/New Boston area, becoming an outdoorsman at heart. His favorite memory of this time was camping, hunting and fishing in Roosevelt Lake in Shawnee State Park.

Missing half an arm due to a birth defect, Frances raised Chip to not identify himself as a “defect” and instead as capable as anyone else. As a result, Chip played varsity football throughout high school, earning All-conference honors as a senior. Throughout his life, he managed his disability so well that one would not notice that he was actually missing half an arm.

Graduating at the top of his class, Chip attended Ohio State University where he studied Political Science and developed his lifelong love and devotion to the Buckeyes. In 1964, immediately after graduating (the night of), Chip set out with two good friends, Larry “Moose” Gulick and John Wellman for an epic postgrad camping and fishing trip to Yellowstone National Park.The boys went back the following year and Chip’s love for the American West and Rocky Mountains was born. This passion would forever be part of his and his family’s life, with annual skiing and vacations to numerous National Parks.

Chip attended Ohio State University where he developed his love for Buckeye football while working on his coursework in Political Science, graduating in 1964. Upon graduation, Chip went to work for the National Security Agency, in Fort Meade, MD where he stayed until 1975. During that time he developed an appetite for horse racing. He spent time at Laurel Race Course, both as an audience member and later as a “hot walker.”

In 1966, Chip met and fell in love with his soon-to-be bride, Elsa Clift of New Castle, IN, who also began working at the NSA after graduating from college. After a brief period of dating, much of which involving outings to Laurel Race Track, Chip proposed. He led his marriage proposal with an inquiry: “What do you think about marriage?” Once Elsa realized he was talking about the two of them specifically, she said yes. The two were married in New Castle, IN on February 22, 1969.Also in 1970 Chip completed a Master of Arts in Government & Politics from the University of Maryland. Paired with his proximity to Washington, DC and tumultuous political times of the late 1960’s, Chip’s interest in campaigns and policy deepened. He spent the next 5 years of working for the NSA deciding what to do next.

In February of 1970, Chip and Elsa had their first ski-date at Cockaign Valley ski area in upstate New York, joining Monk and Frances who were already strong ski advocates. From there, they were hooked and began commuting frequently to ski areas in southern Vermont on weekends.

In 1973 his daughter, Laura was born. Looking for a better place to raise children— which included access to skiing— the young family left their posts at the NSA in 1975 and moved to Waterbury Center, VT. In 1976, his son, Chris, was born.

During this time, Chip worked for the Vermont State Child Development Agency, the VT State Employees Association, and other careers working with unions and representation. Following his favorite political quote, “All politics is local,” he jumped into local, state and national political campaigns. Over the next 16 years, Chip worked alongside Madeline Kunin (VT Superintendent of Education, Lieutenant Governor and Governor), Patrick Leahy (Senator, ret), Peter Welch (current Senator), and Bernie Sanders (Congress and now Senator). He apparently shared a beer with Bernie in his early activist years in Vermont, reportedly advising him to lose the tank tops and picket signs and put on a suit and tie, promising that with a better image and running for office, he might actually impart change. Apparently this was good advice.

Chip’s last hurrah in politics was in the 1980 Presidential Election, where he was the Vermont State Coordinator for the Carter/Mondale campaign. When Bush won that election, Chip hung up his political hat and shifted his attention to his family and career. He continued to watch politics, horse racing and football as an armchair expert until he passed.

In 1982 the family moved to St. Johnsbury, VT where Chip began a career with Fairbanks Scales where he worked as a compensation and benefits specialist in HR. Through this time he coached baseball teams from Little League through adults and supported Chris and Laura throughout their adolescence and teen years. Skiing and horse racing stayed an integral part of family life, and summers became full of camping and fishing outings. During the winter, the family frequented Burke Mountain Ski Area almost every weekend and started making annual ski trips to Breckenridge, CO, where he continued to ski until 2023. Every August included a trip to Saratoga Race Track where he taught Chris and Laura (and whomever of their friends that had happened to come along that year) how to read a racing program, handicap the horses, and make bets. In between it all, Chip taught Laura and Chris how to fish in a variety of ways: canoes and boats, deep sea and lakeside, even throwing a line into the local creek after a rain. During this time the Everling family was active at Grace United Methodist Church, where Chip was a tenor in the choir.

When Chip was laid off from Fairbanks in 1989, Chip taught Organizational Behavior courses at Lyndon State College and started working for Community Action in Barre, VT. When Elsa’s job at St. Johnsbury Trucking also came to a close in 1994, the two moved back to the DC area, settling in Alexandria where Chip started working for Fairfax County and Elsa remained employed by Sun Microsoft Systems, primarily located at GW University. In 2000, Chip’s last position was with the City of the District of Columbia, from which he retired. With kids out of the house, Elsa and Chip moved to Charles Town, WV in 2014.

Over the next 12 years, Chip’s adventures included football (Ohio State and Virginia Tech), horse racing and skiing. At one point, Chip reached his dream and created a horse racing business, CE Racing, purchasing 3 thoroughbred horses and siring a 4th, where he experimented with ethical training practices and raced the horses at Charles Town Races. Two of the horses continue to graze and eat carrots at a horse farm in Berryville.

Chip is survived by his wife Elsa (Clift) Everling, daughter Laura Everling Mulchay and spouse John Paul Mulchay, son Chris Everling and spouse Carly (Hauck) Everling, five grandchildren: John Austin Mulchay, Dylan Mulchay, Anna Everling, Alec Everling and Chloe Everling, and two step-grandchildren: Conor Hauck and Braden Hauck. Chip’s commitment to social justice and his unerring belief in the inherent good in all people was a staple in his family’s life and culture. Chip was the person who picked up a conversation with anyone, and who welcomed anyone who came in the door.

A public graveside service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, October 24, 2026 at South Mound Cemetery-West Lawn Addition. You may express condolences or share a memory of Chip at www.hinsey-brown.com.