Richard S. White

Richard S. White, age 91, died in his sleep in Peterborough, NH on May 13, 2022. Always ready with an easy joke and a helping hand, Dick’s affability, curiosity, steadiness, and perseverance will be missed by the many who knew and loved him.
Born in Orange, NJ on February 26, 1931, he was the only child of Harry S and Malvena S (Chambers) White, the husband of Shirley (Herbert) White (who died in 2020), the father of Linda L (White) Griffith of Swanzey, NH and Kenneth R White of Richmond, CA, the grandfather of Meghan E (Griffith) Ferrari of Canton, NC, and a cousin to the four Marcy Men.
The epitome of a good citizen and responsible father, Dick diligently and effectively served his family, church, community, company, and country throughout his long life. He (and his wife, Shirley) took on leadership roles in every one of the many organizations they joined and enlivened.
A 1949 graduate of Nutley High School, where he excelled on the track team, Dick also attended Newark Academy and Lehigh University. While still in high school, he met Shirley Herbert on a blind date. She likened him to a young Frank Sinatra…skinny and good-looking, but without the voice and the bad habits.
Drafted into the Army Signal Corps during the Korean Conflict, Dick shipped out to the Philippines via Fort Mason in San Francisco. He kept up a steady correspondence with Shirley, in his quiet and steadfast way wooing her across the miles.
Upon returning, Dick hired on as a draftsman at New Jersey Bell Telephone, where he quickly assumed a leadership roles, including President of Local 1023 of the Communication Workers of America. Dick strategically worked his way into a management training program, and was promoted several times, holding a number of positions at New Jersey Bell (and later, AT&T).
Meanwhile, Dick and Shirley married in 1954 at Watchung Presbyterian Church, and honeymooned in Atlantic City, NJ. After surviving in a tiny kitchenless apartment, they bought a small Cape Cod on a quiet street in Bloomfield, NJ in 1957, via a VHA loan, family support, and inventive frugality. In addition to raising raise two children there, Dick and Shirley actively strengthened their community.
Dick served as an Elder and two terms as President of the Board of Trustees at Watchung Presbyterian Church in Bloomfield, NJ, where he was also a basketball coach, a Cub Scout Pack Committee Chair, and a leader (with Shirley) of the Couples Club and the Junior High Youth Group. Dick was President of the Oak View Elementary School Home & School Association, as well as the Bloomfield Home & School Council, where he helped lead a successful bond issue campaign to expand the high school.
Dick & Shirley were avid and highly accomplished square dancers. They were selected to perform at Giants Stadium in front of 70,000 people and a nationwide television audience for Liberty Weekend in 1986. They served as Presidents of the Northern New Jersey Square Dance Association and led the successful Bid Committee that brought the 2015 National Square Dance Convention to Springfield, MA. Combining this pursuit with their love of travel, they danced in all 50 states, admiring their beauty while making new friends.
Even with all this activity, Dick and the family always made time for two weeks (or more) of vacation at their beloved Lake Winnipesaukee, and Dick also pursued bowling and photography. Dick’s children hold fond memories of him helping–and being helped by–other men in the neighborhood on home renovation projects.
Dick retired after 36 years in 1989 as a Staff Manager at AT&T. He and Shirley moved to Jaffrey, NH in 1994 to be closer to their granddaughter, Meg, and their daughter, Linda (and conveniently, to Lake Winnipesaukee). They joined Union Congregational Church in Peterborough, NH, and quickly became involved in a variety of roles. Dick served until quite recently worked on the Finance Committee.
Still vigorous, Dick and Shirley moved to RiverMead in Peterborough, NH in 2012. Shirley died in 2020 after a mercifully short struggle with cancer, and Dick’s health declined precipitously.
As in life, Dick and Shirley were not separated for long. Their relationship spanned more than 70 years, and with that came their fair share of love, joy, difficulty, and acceptance.
Dick and Shirley’s family and friends will honor their lives at the UCC Peterborough this Fall, and whenever they practice steady and supportive service, interspersed with mischievous and mildly subversive humor.