Don White died at the age of 93 at home, surrounded by his loved ones on October 27, 2014. He lived his whole life as a man of God who served others and has left this world merely to serve elsewhere.
Donald Gunn White was born on his Grandma Gunn's kitchen table in Salt Lake City on October 26, 1921, the son of Alice Gunn White Devey and George Edward White. His father died when Don was three, leaving his angel mother to raise the family alone. Together with his family he endured brutal poverty as a child, and came out on the other side an indomitable soul.
Despite frequent absences, Don graduated from West High School in 1939, excelling in football and track. He married his eternal sweetheart Barbara Beesley on August 6, 1941, in the Logan LDS Temple. Then in November of 1941, he volunteered to join the Marine Corps and served in the South Pacific during World War II as a Technical Sergeant. Following the war's end, Don hitchhiked his way back home to his wife and 18 month old son.
Don plied his trade as a salesman for Kraft Foods, who employed him for over forty years. During that time, he won many awards and prizes (including a treasured pool table his family has enjoyed for generations), traveled hundreds of thousands of miles, and rarely missed a day of work. One of his greatest accomplishments was the remodeling of Kraft's Los Angeles distribution center, a project which saved the company over a million dollars a year.
Don was a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He had a strong testimony of the gospel, which he shared as often as occasion permitted. He served in approximately 73 callings for the Church. He especially loved sharing the gospel with anyone and everyone who would listen to him. He loved meeting new people and quickly added them to his great circle of friends. He fulfilled several stake missions, worked at the LDS Conference Center, Temple Square Visitor Center and served as a temple ordinance worker at the Salt Lake, Jordan River and Draper LDS Temples. He also helped to support several grandsons on LDS missions.
Don loved working with the youth. He always had an ear to listen, and he regularly gave advice, requested or not. He always enjoyed trying to help the wandering soul, and frequently sought them out to help. For a time he served as a counselor at the Salt Lake Detention Center. Don was a scout master several times, attended the National Jamboree three times, and even went on to earn the esteemed Silver Beaver award. He was a member of the Silver Moccasin staff, Wood Badge staff, and the Greater Salt Lake Council as Council Advancement Chairman. One of his favorite activities was to serve as an advisor for several stake girls camps throughout the Salt Lake Valley, which he did on several occasions.
Don loved the outdoors and spent a great deal of his time camping in the High Uintas. He frequently took his children and grandchildren camping there and proved to be a fine cook, hiker and storyteller. The story telling part was not exclusive to camping. Don also enjoyed scenic photography and won awards for his skills. His photographs of the High Uintas were fantastic.
Don loved woodworking and used this talent to help thousands of people. He cut wood for innumerable scouting and church projects, his daughters' craft boutique business and hundreds of other miscellaneous projects. Notably, he received the AARP Volunteer service award at the age of 90 for cutting thousands of wood shapes for the Primary Children's Medical Center Foundation, a project which took him hundreds of hours to complete. During his woodworking service, Don cut his hands countless times, severing his fingers on numerous occasions, usually to be sewn back on by skilled physicians. One look at Don White's hands told the story of a man who was tough as nails and as hardworking as anyone in this world.
Old age eventually put an end to Don's life, but up until his last days he never stopped. Even in his last weeks and months he insisted on frequent walks ‚ where he often fell asleep only to wake up minutes later, get back up and keep on going. On the day he died, his body was still filled with well-defined muscle.
Don was a man of great love. He showed his love through a constant stream of service and did everything he could throughout his life to tend after his family. Like the wood he spent so much time shaping, he was sometimes rough around the edges, but beneath it all was beauty ready to be found. The more one got to know Don, the more one couldn't help adore him.
Don's family is confident that when he finally left this world there was a happy reunion with his beloved wife Barbara, his son Dennis Donald White, his parents, his sisters Dorothy Gunn Armstrong and Loie Gunn Larsen and his step-siblings Flora, Fern and Floyd. He is survived by his loving daughters, Barbara Ann White Thurman (Mike) and Janis White Kearl (Aland), 17 grandchildren with 41 great grandchildren and step-sister Faye Devey Hansen.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 1, 2014 at the Crescent Ridge 6th Ward Chapel, 11164 South Londonderry Drive, Sandy, UT. A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m to 12:30 p.m. prior to the services at the church. Online condolences welcomed at www.larkincares.com.
