DEDHAM and CLEARWATER, Fla. – Donald H. White, 73, loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away peacefully Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006. He was born Oct. 21, 1932, in Bangor, the son of George O. and Melinda M. (Gass) White of Orrington. Don graduated from Brewer High School in 1950 and began working for the Bangor Hydro that fall. He met his future wife, Sylvia L. McLeod, in the summer of 1952 and a few months later was drafted into the U.S. Army. After two years of serving in Korea and writing home to his sweetheart, he returned home and asked Sylvia to be his bride. They were married Aug. 6, 1955 and celebrated their 50th anniversary last summer with their family at Brandy Pond. He was a quiet private man who enjoyed doing anything that kept him outside; as a young boy, haying on Pratt Smith’s farm, as a young man hunting and fishing with his Dad and in his later years, building a swing set for his grandchildren or golfing with his friends. A man who showed his love for family and friends through his actions more than his words. For 42 years, Don enjoyed his friends and co-workers at the Bangor Hydro. He retired in 1992 and for the next 13 years spent summers on Moulton and Brandy Ponds in Maine and winters on the golf course at Top of the World in Clearwater, Fla. Along with Sylvia, Don is survived by his daughters, Sandra A. White of San Diego, Calif., Sheryl L. White and partner, Jamie Wadell, of Louisville, Ky., Nancy J. White and partner, John F. Burns, of Falmouth; grandchildren, Taylor, Nick, Michaela, Jordan and Sylvia; sister and brother-in-law, Alberta and Raymond Washburn of Orrington; sister-in-law, Sally Clifford of Brewer; Sylvia’s family, the McLeod Clan who welcomed him as a brother; and his many nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brother, Richard O. White of Brewer. He will be greatly missed by his life-long friends in Maine and his circle of friends in Clearwater, Fla. A memorial service celebrating Don’s life will be held 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at Brookings-Smith Clark-Piper Chapel, 55 South Main St., Brewer, with the Rev. Robert T. Carlson, chaplain of Husson College, officiating. The family invites relatives and friends to share conversation and refreshments at the Brookings-Smith Reception Rooms, 55 South Main St., Brewer, immediately following the service. Those who wish to remember Donald in a special way may make gifts in his memory to CancerCare of Maine, care of Eastern Maine Charities, P.O. Box 404, Bangor, ME 04402-0404.
DONALD H. WHITE
