Family, friends have fond memories of Rains, former county clerk

Everett Rains will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the most successful politicians in Whitley County history, but his nephew, current Whitley County Clerk Tom Rains, says he will remember Everett more as a generous man that always tried to help people.
“Many times at the Corbin hospital we would go visit the sick men, who were his friends. If the men didn’t have a pair of socks on that really bothered him the most,” Rains said Monday afternoon unsuccessfully trying to choke back tears. “He would pull his socks off and give them to them. He would leave and go home without any socks on. I’ve never seen anybody do that before in my life that was how generous he was.”
Everett Rains, who served as Whitley County Clerk for 24 years, passed away Saturday afternoon at the Oak Tree Hospital in Corbin at the age of 88.
“He was a tremendous gentleman. They called him the best politician in Whitley County, but it all came from his heart. Everything came out of Everett’s heart. He did things for people out of his heart, not because he was county clerk. He was just that type of person,” said Tom Rains, who worked for Everett for eight years before succeeding him as county clerk. “He treasured this office. He was a good county clerk.”
Everett Rains began his career in politics serving one term as Whitley County Sheriff from 1954 through 1957. At the time sheriffs couldn’t succeed themselves, and Rains made a failed bid for county clerk in 1957 against incumbent Ernie Hickey. He ran again for county clerk in 1961, and was elected to the first of his six terms in office. Rains was unopposed in his bid for re-election during three of his six terms, and left office in 1985.
Kay Schwartz, who has worked in the county clerk’s office for nearly 31 years and who worked for Everett Rains for 11 years until he left office, described her former boss as an easy going person, who never raised his voice to any workers.
“He would always tell us in a kind way how things needed to be done, or what he needed done. He never did anything to humiliate you. He always wanted to help you,” she noted.
“He was a very good man. He was always kind to people. It didn’t matter if they came in mad, they never left mad. He always calmed them down, and took care of their needs. It didn’t matter what they needed, he always tried to help them,” Schwartz said.
“Even if he knew somebody was against him, he was kind to them when they came in. He shook their hand, and he helped them. It didn’t matter to him. He was a man that would turn the other cheek. He was always good to people.”
Tom Rains said some of his fondest memories as a child were of he and his twin brother riding around with Everett as he traveled the county buying and selling cattle.
“We used to come down and sit on the sheriff’s counter. While he was working we used to get to stay a few hours at the courthouse. It was the biggest treat ever. He was a special person, who made you feel so good,” Tom Rains said.
Everett Rains and his wife of 46 years, Delois, never had any children. The couple didn’t marry until they were 42 years old, Tom Rains noted. Still, the couple had a large family including seven nephews and five nieces.
Everett and Delois attended 73 birthday parties for their great nephews and nieces in Tom Rains’ family only missing one birthday party due to illness.
Tom Rains noted that Everett had a great love for children period.
“There is probably not anyone in this county that Everett Rains didn’t buy a bottle of soda pop for when he was young. Young boys would run to the county store when they saw Everett coming down the road because they knew Everett would buy them a pop. Every child every where he went, he would give them a quarter and in later years he would give a dollar to every child he saw. He was really so generous,” Tom Rains said.
In addition to being a politician, Rains was also an active farmer, who raised crops and cattle on his farm near Dal Road until last year.
“He had a real closeness to all the farmers in Whitley County,” Tom Rains noted Monday. “Back in the 40s, 50s and 60s, everyone had a milk cow; in Whitley County that was the most valuable thing on your place. Everett would loan people milk cows. So many people came to me today, and said, ‘I remember when your uncle brought us a milk cow.’ He didn’t ask nothing.”
Rains said about a year ago, Everett suffered a bump on his head that required surgery in Lexington for internal bleeding in his brain. After the stint in the hospital, he developed lung problems, and had suffered from pneumonia for the past month until he passed away Saturday.
Funeral services were scheduled for 2 p.m. today at the Ellison Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Bill Mitchell officiating. He will be buried at the Highland Park Cemetery in the Davis Addition.
The Whitley County Courthouse closed at noon Wednesday for the funeral, and remained closed for the remainder of the day.