Norma Jane White, 89, died peacefully on Friday, Sept. 14 of natural causes in Riverbank.
She was born in Myton, Utah. She shared many happy memories of her childhood there with her siblings. She and her family lived in a small log cabin on 40 acres on an Indian Reservation. She often spoke of the large vegetable garden her mother grew and canned for the family as well as the wonderful bread her mother made in a wood stove.
Mrs. White spent many years in the Bay Area before moving to the valley and to Oakdale. She was a lifelong member of the LDS Church and active in Oakdale’s Second Ward as a visiting teacher.
She lived in Oakdale for 24 years and met many new friends and loved visiting with them. She loved to cook all of her life and was known to be a gourmet cook hosting many formal dinners as well as family dinners. She also enjoyed knitting, quilting, playing cards, and was an avid golfer prior to moving to Oakdale.
While living in the Bay Area, she and her husband Johnnie were well known in many social circles. A fun loving couple, they traveled all over the world in their many years together while raising their four children.
She held a deep love for all things in nature. She loved animals and had a special respect for the earth. She especially loved to garden and passed on her love of the earth to all of her children. She was a beloved mother and cherished grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt.
She is survived by her sons, Doug (Yvonne) White of Oakdale, Kim White of Sebastopol; daughters, Kathleen (Bill) Stein of Woodland, Darlene (Steve) Taunt of Port Orchard, Wash.; stepdaughter, Pamela (Fred) Schaffer of South Jordan, Utah; six grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Johnnie White; parents, Abraham and Emma Jane Smith; siblings, Yvonne Jorgensen, Hazel Swain, Woodrow Smith, Owen Smith, Ken Smith, Donald Smith, and Orabelle Smith.
Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20 at Oakdale-Riverbank Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 21 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Oakdale, followed by interment at Burwood Cemetery, Escalon.
Remembrances may be made to the SPCA; or to Bristol Hospice, 1170 West Olive Ave., Suite B, Merced, CA 95348.
