John Marshall White, Sr.

John Marshall White Sr. Peacefully departed to be with his Lord, July 4, 2016, surrounded by much of his loving family. Born October 18, 1927, in a small farm house near Hickory PA, the fifth of ten children born to the late Alvin D. White, Sr. and Laura Cooper White. On graduation from Hickory High School in 1945, where he was class President, he went immediately into the US Army Specialized Reserve Program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. With World War II ending, that program was discontinued and he was re-assigned to the infantry, serving at Ft. Lewis WA. In 1947, he was discharged to the inactive reserve as a staff sergeant, and attended Muskingum College. Shortly after the start of the Korean War in 1950, he was recalled to active duty, serving a year in Berlin, Germany with the 6th Regimental Combat Team. After Army service, he worked in Cleveland, OH and then moved to Queens, New York City where he spent 17 years, working in manufacturing production control, and attending New York University at night studying industrial management. In 1969, he returned to his home town of Hickory with his young family. He worked three years as a materials manager of Miller Printing Machinery and then 20 years with Tippins Machinery where he was manager of traffic and export, responsible for the delivery of steel rolling mill machinery to job sites in Canada, Europe, South Africa, Korea, and the Philippines. He was married three times. His first wife was Catherine “Rena” Patterson, a native of Glasgow, Scotland. They met and married in New York in 1957. She was the mother of his two sons and died in 1992. In 1995, he married Ouida Taylor Harper of Toccoa, GA. She died in 1996. In 1998, he married Lou Rae Sprowls, who passed away in 2001. Surviving are: two sons, Dr. John (Jennifer) M. White, Jr of Granville Ohio and James (Peggy) D. White II of Hickory; six grandsons Christopher (Marissa) J. White, Alvin D. White III, James D. White III, John M. White III, Geoffrey P. White, and Ian M. White; four step-daughters Pamela Harper-Halsnick of North Carolina, and Dawn (David) Haber, Carma (Kevin) Repcheck, and Jody (Anatole) Wilson all of Mt. Lebanon PA; three sisters Mary Crozier and Peg McCance both of Lancaster PA, and Marjorie (Jerry) Smith-Peterson of Janesville WI; two brothers Richard (Margaret) White of Hickory PA, and Willard (Judy) White of Washington PA. Also surviving, are many step grandchildren and step great-grandchildren, and a large extended family. Deceased are three brothers Alvin D. White, Jr., Albert W. (Margaret) White, and Robert R. White Sr. and one sister Elizabeth Banyay. After retiring, John acquired a winter home in Sun City Center, FL where for 17 years he delighted in entertaining visiting friends and members of his extended family, and hosting holiday dinners for neighbors without families nearby. A lover of classical music, he also enjoyed many concerts of the Florida Orchestra and productions of the Sarasota Opera Company during his winters in Florida. He was a member of Hickory United Evangelical Presbyterian Church where he served as an Elder, a 45 year member and past President of the Hickory Lions Club, a 60 year member and Past Master of Queensboro Masonic Lodge in Queens NY, member of the Pittsburgh Scottish Rite Masons, Syria Temple of Shriners, and George Washington Chapter of Sons of American Revolution. In lieu of flowers, family suggests donations to Hickory United EPC memorial fund, P. O. Box 97, Hickory, PA 15340. Friends will be received on Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m., in William G. Neal Funeral Homes, Ltd., 925 Allison Avenue, Washington. Additional visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m., the time of service, on Friday, July 8th, in Hickory United Evangelical Presbyterian Church, with Pastor Lou Templeton officiating. Burial will follow in Mt. Prospect Cemetery. Military rites will be accorded graveside by American Legion Edwin Scott Linton Post 175. The Hickory Lions Club will hold a service on Thursday at 8:45 p.m. in the funeral home.