George R. White Jr.

George R. White Jr., 82, of Cumming, GA, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, February 17, 2020. He was born on July 18, 1937, in Northfield, VT, the son of George R. White Sr., and Annie Marjoria White. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Betsy Benoit, and his wife of 57 years, Patricia Anne White, ne Terry, who passed away on May 29, 2019.

George is survived by his five children, Heather Ernst (Bill) of Dawsonville, GA, Shawn Hurt (Mark) of Asheville, NC, George White III (Shawn) of Denver, CO, Patrick White (Amy) of Point of Rocks, MD, Nathaniel White of Cleveland, GA; 6 grandchildren, Breanna Ernst, Preston Ernst of Georgia, Joshua White, Christian White of North Carolina, Katherine White, and Hannah White of Maryland; 2 great grandchildren; a sister, Carmen Sheldon of West Virginia, along with several beloved nieces and nephews.

George spent his youth drawing and painting, learning to play saxophone, working on his grandparents farm, (the Tillotson Farm), and tending to animals. He loved helping out on the old farm where he learned how to grow a garden, (he remembers planting a Victory Garden), and where he had goats, horses, cows, pigs, and a St. Bernard dog, Lassie. When Lassie passed, he got his beloved dog, Fenna. He graduated from North Brookfield High School, class of 1957. By now, he was quite accomplished on the saxophone. After graduating from high school, George was awarded a scholarship to the New England Conservatory. While at the conservatory, he was invited to play with Boots Mussulli, Herb Pomeroy, Tony Zano, and many others. He played in the jazz band for the Father Norman OConnor (the Jazz Priest) television show in Boston. He also enjoyed boxing, reading, all kinds of history; he was an expert in Civil War history.

Following college, George enlisted in the United States Air Force. He was stationed in Omaha, Nebraska at Offutt Air Base, SAC, where he was a musician in the USAF Jazz Band. While in Omaha, he was set up on a blind date with our mother, Patricia.

George married Patricia Anne White (from Omaha) on November 24, 1961, in Spencer, MA. Following the birth of their first daughter Heather, Patricia and George moved from Massachusetts back to Omaha in 1963. Once returning to Omaha, he was hired as a draftsman for Leo Daly Architecture Firm. He was proud to be a part of the designing team for The Mutual of Omaha building, as well as, the Henry Doorly Zoo. George and Patricia welcomed two more children during their time in Omaha, a daughter Shawn, and their first son George.

The family moved to Wisconsin in 1969, where George continued as an architect. In 1970, they moved to Baltimore, Maryland. While living and working in the Baltimore area, Patricia and George had two more sons, Patrick (they delivered him at home!), and Nathaniel.

In 1976, they moved to Williamsport, Maryland. George worked as an architect in Hagerstown, MD. As his career advanced, he worked for Amtrak, and Skidmore, Owings Merrill. He retired from his career as an associate at Metcalf Associates in Georgetown.

Upon retiring, George and Patricia moved to Lincoln, California where they lived until 2014. During their time in California, George continued his vegetable garden, and he began painting again. He also began his role as a caregiver for Patricia as her health started to decline. In August 2014, they moved to Georgia to be closer to their family.

In November of 2018, George became Patricias primary caretaker when she was placed under home hospice care. He cared for her daily needs for seven months. In those months, they were able to celebrate one more wedding anniversary (57 years), a family Thanksgiving, Christmas, Patricias 80th birthday, Easter on the lake, and a final Mothers Day. He lived up to his promise to our mom in his vows of for better or worse.

The months following Patricias passing were filled with love and admiration and gratitude for his children. He left us knowing that he had accomplished many things; he was especially proud of his children.

He has left a part of himself in each of us kids. From the love of cooking and gardening, to painting, and the love of animals and music, mountains and nature, fresh air, hermit cookies, picnics, and so much more, our dads legacy lives on through us. Thats how he wanted it. We miss him very much.

Life is a Many Splendored Gig ~ Herb Pomeroy

The family is planning a private service to be held in their home.