Funeral services for 77-year-old retired U.S. Navy Commander John W. White, of Hopkinsville, will be 1 PM Friday, June 7, at Maddux-Fuqua-Hinton Funeral Home.
Burial will follow in Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West.
Visitation will be from 11 AM until the funeral hour.
Survivors include:
His wife of 55 years, Mary Kathryn (Massenkeil) White;
His son, John W. White, II, (Maria) of Alexandria, Virginia;
His daughter, Leah Gabrielle Outland (Rodney), of Pembroke;
His sister, Patricia A. Schubert, of Clover, South Carolina;
His five grandchildren, Nicholas Blade Wilson, William Chase Outland, JonConnor Hall Outland, David William White, Anna Concetta White;
And many beloved nieces and nephews.
Rev. Betty Durham is officiating.
He died Monday, May 27, 2024, of natural causes at his home.
He was born April 4, 1947, in Alliance, Ohio, the son of late Claude W. and Henrietta (Mordue) White.
He graduated from McKinley High School, Sebring, Ohio in 1965. After graduation, he enlisted in the U. S. Navy and spent 11 ½ years as a Photographer’s Mate, deploying twice to Vietnam.
He was commissioned as a Naval Photographic Officer in 1977, and spent the next 17 years in a variety of assignments culminating in a tour as Commanding Officer of the Fleet Imaging Command Pacific headquartered in San Diego, California.
His last tour of duty was as Imaging Advisor to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawai’i.
His military decorations/awards include two Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals, three Navy Achievement Medals, two National Defense Medals, two Good Conduct Awards, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry and numerous other unit and service awards.
After retirement from the U.S. Navy, he worked as Administrative Manager for Construction Unlimited and then as the Site Manager for Watkins Engineers and Constructors, both General Contractors at the Procter & Gamble Plant in Mehoopany, Pennsylvania.
He retired in 2010 from the Contracts Manager position for General Dynamics, Ordnance and Tactical Systems in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
He earned an Associate of Arts in Business, with honors, from Pensacola Junior College; a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management, with honors, from the University of the State of New York; and a master’s degree in Contract Management, from the American Graduate University.
He was a Life Member of the National Association of Naval Photographers, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the USS INTREPID Association. He was also a member of the U.S. Navy Mustang Association, the Military Officers Association of America, the American Legion, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He was a Past Master and Secretary of Factoryville Masonic Lodge No. 341, Factoryville, Pennsylvania.
He was also a member of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Southern Jurisdiction, Khedive Temple of the Shrine of North America, the National Sojourners, and was a Past Worthy Patron of Arbutus Chapter No. 29 Order of the Eastern Star.
He was recognized as a Sebring McKinley High School Distinguished Alumni in 2018.
An avid golfer, you could find him on the links at Western Hills Golf Course seven days a week enjoying golf with his friends.
When not golfing, you might find him fishing with his grandsons.
In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his brother, Vincent G. Thomas.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in his memory to First Presbyterian Church of Hopkinsville at 303 East Ninth Street, Hopkinsville, KY, 42240.
