Evelyne White

WHITE

Evelyne G. White of Westerville died peacefully Sunday, September 20, 2015, after a brief uphill battle with pneumonia, thereby coming very close to her oft-expressed desire to be fully present in her life one day and gone the next. Evelyne Grace Blanchard was born Nov. 27, 1924, in Leominster MA, one of eight children of Berton and Martha Blanchard. After graduating from high school, Evelyne went to work at nearby Fort Devens in support of the World War II effort. She also participated in activities of the USO, an international support organization for deployed and homesick soldiers. It was at a USO dance that she spotted a young lieutenant across the room and arranged an introduction. She and Claude White Jr. wed May 3, 1947, moved to his home state of Ohio, and were married 56 years, until his death in 2003. Had Evelyne been born a couple decades later, she most likely would have aced college and ended up running a corporation, or founding one. Instead, she became CEO of a household that grew to include three children. The family lived for decades in Minerva Park, most of them in a Berry Lane home whose architect was primarily Evelyne. She was known for her blend of warmth, kindness, and no-nonsense compassion, for both thrift and generosity, and for both speaking her mind and knowing when to tell a tiny, tactful lie. She excelled at word games and puzzles and was an entertaining bridge partner. She crocheted or knitted dozens of wonderful pieces to give to others but almost never completed a piece for herself that met her standards. Survivors: Daughters Sandra White and her husband Nicholas DeGrazia of Michigan, and Susan White of Columbus, and son Jeffrey White, his wife Victoria White, and their children, Andrew and Elizabeth, all of Westerville. Also: her brother Walter Blanchard of Florida, and sisters Thelma Moore of California, Marcia Coutu of Massachusetts, and Norma Harkness of England. She was a 50-year member of Church of the Messiah United Methodist Church, Westerville, where a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, September 28, with opportunity to visit with the family starting at 10 a.m. as well as afterward. She will be buried next to her husband in a later private ceremony at Dayton National Cemetery.