Lester's Obituary (10/29/2014)
GLENS FALLS — Lester Perry White, 94, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014.
Born Aug. 7, 1920, in Oneida, Lester was the fourth child of Sylvester Sherwood White and Ruby Belle Gourlay White. He attended Sherrill High School, where he studied the violin and became concert master for the high school orchestra.
Les went on to study engineering at Clarkson Memorial College of Technology in Potsdam, where he met the love of his life, Dorothy May Wells. After walking to Clarkson Skating Arena only to find it closed due to weather, they spent their first date at McMannis Diner in Potsdam talking for hours over hot chocolate. Their third date, on Dec. 7, 1941, was spent at a Gary Cooper movie called “Sargent York.” The movie was interrupted by the announcement of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Les was determined to join the war effort out of concern for his best friend, who was stationed at Pearl Harbor. He joined the Army ROTC soon after in 1941.
On Dec. 22, 1942, at noon, with a temperature of 22 degrees below zero outside, Les and Dot were married at First Baptist Church in Glens Falls. They dubbed it a “White Christmas wedding” after the popular Bing Crosby song. The following May, Les earned his bachelor of mechanical engineering degree from Clarkson. In August, he reported to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, for Officer’s Candidate School. He completed OCS in December 1943, was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers, and was sent immediately to Camp Beale, California, to join the 973rd Engineer Maintenance Company as platoon leader.
Les and Dot spent their first three anniversaries apart, while Les served in active duty. He arrived June 6, 1944, D-Day of World War II, in England. The following day, D-Day plus one, he arrived on Omaha Beach with a small contingent of the 973rd. He was also in the Battle of the Bulge during his second wedding anniversary, and spent the rest of the war surveying and designing allied airstrips in France and Germany. He came home from the war in 1946 and continued to serve in the Army Reserves until he retired as a lieutenant colonel In 1964.
Les worked as a mechanical engineer at Pacific Paperboard Co. in Longview, Washington, until July 1950 when he joined Container Corporation of America and moved to Downey, California. There, he oversaw the design and construction of a new paperboard mill in Santa Clara, California. In June 1980, he retired from CCA as West Coast Division Engineer and moved with Dot to her family home in Glens Falls. Over the years, Les enjoyed traveling the world with his wife and family, touring aboard their Grand Banks trawler and even went helicopter hiking in the Caribou Mountains at 76 years old. Throughout their life together, Les and Dot loved to laugh, making many long lasting friendships everywhere they went. They always delighted in holding hands and being together, going on adventures, sharing meals at favorite local restaurants and visiting with family, friends and neighbors.
We are honored to be part of Lester’s family and know he will be welcomed home by loved ones who have passed before him: his beloved wife, Dorothy May Wells White; his mother and father, Sylvester and Ruby White; his brother, Sherwood James White; his two sisters, Ruby Jeannette White Hartlieb and Wilma Grace White Harris; and his third and youngest great-grandchild, “Eva” Yvette Mae Montgomery.
He is survived by his daughters, Nancy White Hitchcock of Hendersonville, North Carolina; Sandee Endahl and her husband, Jim Endahl, of Butte, Montana; and Cathee St. Clair and her husband, Greig St. Clair of Truckee, California. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Lauren Ashley and her boyfriend, Eric Beecher of Lake George; Parvati Stoltz Montgomery and her husband, Ryan Montgomery, of Gilmer, Texas; Michael Stoltz and his wife, April Stoltz of Butte, Montana; and two great-grandchildren: Molly Westensee Stoltz and Alexander Perry Stoltz of Butte, Montana. He is also survived by many wonderful nieces and nephews and their families: Suzanne Lee Harris Nasselli and “Captain” Joseph Louis Salvadore Nasselli and family; Douglass Winfeld Harris and Norene Louise Parmeter Harris and her family; Leslie Dianne Harris Liebler and William Burnham Liebler and his family; Dale White Hartlieb and Sharon Rae Kenfield Hartlieb and their family; Tom and Deborah Wells Purcell and Michael Purcell and family; Barbara Wells D’Agostino and Daniel D’Agostino.
Lester’s family would like to thank Glens Falls Hospital; Hudson Headwaters Health Clinic; the Homeward Bound program; the caring staff at Neighbors of New York; Karen Bennett for always being there for Les and Dot; the Log Jam Restaurant for their kindness; Glens Falls National Bank & Trust officers for their services; Paul Pontiff, Esq. for his faithful guidance; and Lauren Ashley and Eric Beecher for their devotion, compassion and attention to his every need.
For those who wish to share their thoughts, prayers and stories, an online memorial is available at ForeverMissed.com. Those who wish to make a memorial contribution may do so to the charity of their choice.
Services and burial will be private and for the immediate family.
“For all we eat and all we wear, for daily food and loving care, we thank thee our Father.”
—Lester White’s family prayer
Condolences may be mailed to Maynard Baker Funeral Home, 11 Lafayette St, Queensbury, NY 12804, or emailed through www.bakerfuneralhome.com.
