A 24-year-old ‘living his dream’ on Hilton Head, killed in a crash on US 278 on Oct. 8
Dustin Everidge, 24, was turning a corner.
Since moving to Hilton Head Island more than two months ago, he was “living his dream,” his father, Jeff Everidge, said.
Like many before him, Dustin Everidge caught a glimpse of life on Hilton Head while on vacation and was determined to return for his own slice of paradise.
On his trip to the Island in July, he met his-soon-to-be girlfriend on Burkes Beach, and they spent his whole week of vacation together.
“He came back home and said ‘I want to move back there,’” said Jeff Everidge.
“I was kind of in shock. He was determined,” he said. “That was Dustin.”
Less than two weeks later, he left his hometown in Kentucky. Everidge answered an ad on Facebook to work for a boat repair company, Fleming Marine.
When his employer discovered Everidge didn’t have a place to stay, he persuaded a client to let Everidge rent a vacant boat in the Shelter Cove Marina.
Family and friends saw a noticeable change in his energy. He was happier and more driven.
But Everidge’s dream was cut short.
While driving toward the Hilton Head bridge on the morning of Oct. 8, he was struck by a Ford F-150 and careened into a treeline, where he was entrapped in his car.
Everidge died at 7:49 a.m. after being transported to Hilton Head Hospital, according to the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office.
‘He fit in so quickly’
In death, Everidge brought together groups of people who may never have crossed paths before. Before his funeral Saturday in Kentucky, his large family gathered Wednesday at Burkes Beach for a memorial service after driving 10 hours from Nicholasville, Kentucky, a small town outside of Lexington.
Everidge had eight siblings, his father said.
The family was met by a few neighbors of the tight-knit Shelter Cove boating community, who came out to pay their respects.
Stephen Holt, 58, lived next to Everidge in the marina. Before Everidge arrived, Holt said he was the youngest member of the boat-living community.
In two months, Holt said Everidge became well known in Shelter Cove.
“Most people don’t think 24-year-olds have much to offer,” Holt said. “But he really did.”
He described Everidge as goofy, friendly, and generous to everyone he met.
“It was really wild how he fit in so quickly down here,” he said. “It took me a lot longer than that.”
The two became friends, and Holt said Everidge would come by to ask him for advice on everything, from catching crabs to fixing boats.
Holt said he often served as a sounding board for the young man 24 years his junior.
“I would tell him ‘you just need to slow down and quit rushing things,’” said Holt. “I told him that every week.”
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Never met a stranger
Also at Burkes Beach on Wednesday was Everidge’s boss, Jessie Fleming, and two of his co-workers.
Fleming, a resident of Hilton Head for 33 years, said Everidge was a hard worker and never met a stranger.
During the time working for Fleming, Everidge had mentioned to his boss how he loved working on boats and would do it for the rest of his life if he could.
Like many of the people who knew him, Fleming said Everidge’s favorite thing to do was take his boat out to the marsh after work, read the Bible, and watch the sunset.
“Dustin, he had a really open heart towards God,” said Fleming. “He would talk to me about it. He wanted God to help him change his life and be better.”
On the morning of Oct. 8, Fleming said he was wondering why neither he nor his coworkers had heard from Everidge. And then they heard the news.
“A 24-year-old living life (who) was just so vibrant,” said Jeff Everidge. “When you have a time, it’s your time. No matter where you’re at. It’s up.”
This story was originally published October 17, 2020 at 2:46 PM.
