Mary E. White

Mary Elizabeth Wood White died on Nov. 30, 2008. She was born July 11, 1918, the first of three children to Jesse and Addie Cooper Wood of Rossville, Illinois. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Orpha, and her brother Jesse. The family moved to Danville, Illinois early in Mary's life where she lived until her marriage to Rev. Jack H. White in 1937. Her husband soon became pastor of a small church of the Nazarene in a neighboring community, the beginning of a long and distinguished ministerial career, which was ended by his sudden death in 1974 while he was the District Superintendent of the Metropolitan New York City Churches of the Nazarene. Mary was a loyal pastor's wife and served in many roles in the church herself, both on the local and district levels. The couple had three children, all surviving: Philip White of Tucson, Arizona, Jackie Sanders and husband Don of Las Cruces, NM and Judith Neal and husband Robert of Albuquerque, NM. There are six surviving grandchildren and twelve surviving great-grandchildren. After working for several years at the International Headquarters of the church in Kansas City, Missouri, Mary retired and moved to New Mexico in 1980. For twenty years, she was a resident of Encantada Park in Las Cruces and in recent years resided at the Good Samaritan Village Health Care Facility in Las Cruces. A private graveside service was held in Albuquerque, NM Thursday, December 4, 2008. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held at Good Samaritan Village Health Care Chapel 3025 Terrace Dr. at 2:00 pm on Saturday, December 6, 2008 with Rev. Carrol Blevins and Rev. Stan Yocom officiating. All who knew her are invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in her memory to Good Samaritan Village, 3025 Terrace Dr., Las Cruces, NM 88011. PDF Printable Version