Jack White

On April 26, 2020, Jack M. White, aged 82, passed away of Covid-19, in Pennington, NJ. Jack was born in 1937 in Richmond, Virginia, to Wilbur (Dick) and Alma (M. J.) White. He graduated from King College in Bristol, TN, and married Mary Louisa Sydnor in 1960. He completed a Master of Divinity at Austin Theological Seminary, after which he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister, serving churches in Fayetteville, NC; Virginia Beach, VA; and Memphis, TN. While in Virginia Beach, Jack completed a master’s degree in urban studies at Old Dominion University, combining his love for urban centers and for the people who worked, lived, and worshipped there to fulfill Christ’s commission to proclaim the Gospel and serve humanity. He found this opportunity at First Presbyterian Church, Memphis, and then at the Martha O’Brien Center in Nashville, TN. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves for 20 years as a chaplain, a role and experience that he loved, eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Jack loved to laugh, joke and hand out nicknames to all. He never met an all-you-can-eat buffet he didn't love, he had a coupon for just about everything, he enjoyed visiting the hot tub at Blue Heron Bay everyday with his great friend Fred Colhardt, and he loved country and bluegrass music. His wife Mary Lou preceded him in death, and he is survived by his life partner, Pedie Tebbs; daughters Catherine (Najeeb) Ahmad and Jackie (Mark) Militello and 8 grandchildren: Matthew, Thomas, Sarah, Caroline, Rebecca, Emily, Grace, and Hannah; and the son he never had, David Hamilton; his brothers Tom (Joan) and Don (Nancy). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Community of Faith United Methodist Church, 9120 Teacher Ln, Davenport, FL 33897.