James "Jim" Lee White

James Lee White was born on Wednesday, November 26, 1930, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Claud Elbert and Laura Frances (Lindsey) White. He was their youngest child and only son. He was promoted from this life on Monday, June 26, 2023, at Iris Memory Care in Tulsa, Oklahoma at 92 years of age. Jim was a determined overcomer. He had polio when he was around 10, and for therapy to regain the use of his left leg, he rode his bicycle all over Tulsa. He rode from their home at 6th & Quincy all the way to the downtown YMCA to further his therapy with swimming. His mechanical interests developed when he ran his own bicycle shop. He graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1948. Jim was introduced to the former Miss Evelyn “Anne” Bryant in the summer of 1950, at youth camp, where they both were working. They fell in love quickly, and married on August 25, 1950 in Collinsville, Oklahoma at the home of Pastor Ken Sloan (who had introduced them). They left immediately for Delaware so Jim could return to work and begin his third year at King’s College. It was there the next year that their first daughter, Marilyn, was born. After graduation, they moved to Dallas, TX. For the next four years Jim worked full time, welcomed two sons, Tim and Thomas and another daughter, Cyndi, to the family all the while attending Dallas Theological Seminary full time. Following those days in Dallas, they moved to Cushing, Oklahoma, where he was involved in children’s missions work—weekly going to rural schools singing with the kids, teaching Bible memory verses, and presenting a Bible lesson. After a few years, the growing family of 7, with the addition of another daughter, Linda, required more support, so he found a variety of jobs including roughnecking on oil rigs and working on the building of the Keystone Dam. For a period of time, Jim was the interim pastor of the small Bible church in Cushing. One last daughter, Charlotte, was born there as well. In 1961, the now family of eight moved to Tulsa where he began a social work career and eventually became the Assistant Administrator of the Child Welfare Unit of the Oklahoma State Welfare Department. While working for the state, he completed his Master’s in Social Work from the University of Oklahoma. During his time in the State Welfare Department, Jim was stationed for a few years at the Tulsa Boys Home. Some of the boys adopted the White family, and are still in touch with the family today. Danny Chapin comes regularly to visit Jim and Anne, as recently as last month. Jim was rarely without side jobs to make ends meet. He would paint, repair and/or remodel homes, he worked on machinery in a dry cleaning business, pretty much any work he could do evenings and Saturdays. Sundays were dedicated to church activities. Jim retired from the Welfare Department after 23 years. In preparation for retirement, they purchased a laundromat and Anne started managing it while he finished his social work career. He was mechanically inclined and was able to do all the repairs and upkeep of equipment. When he later sold his laundromat equipment, he continued well into his eighties working for another laundromat owner, doing repairs, and manning the business when needed. Jim enjoyed traveling, visiting his children, working in his yard, chopping and splitting firewood, gardening, playing card games (Liverpool Rummy) and carpentry work. He could take a Volkswagen motor apart and put it back together. He loved the challenge of doing his own repairs! Also, Jim LOVED Ice Cream!! Ice cream was good for any and all occasions, especially following every doctor’s appointment. Through the years, his involvement in the work of the Lord included being a Children’s Missionary, Sunday school teacher, youth leader, church deacon, choir member, part of the Grandpa’s prayer ministry, an active member of the MacOasis Class and in his King’s College days, he sang in a men’s quartet. He worked hard! But his greatest joy came from spending time with his family. If you heard the whistling music in the pre-service music, just understand that Dad whistled a lot, and sometimes it was the dreaded call to come home for supper, but a lot of times it was a melody we loved to hear. The family has grown on to include 14 grandchildren and spouses, 21 great grandchildren and spouses and 11 great great grandchildren, with more to come. Jim was a member of Tulsa Bible Church and served as a member of the Missions board of one the churches they attended. The family grew up with missionary friends of Jim and Anne in the home and their children were like cousins. Even after their children were all grown and gone from home, they continued to host missionaries in their home and for extended visits, as needed. Jim’s family requests memorial donations to be given to the Tulsa Bible Church, and in the memo line please write “TBC Missions.” He is survived by, His wife of almost 73 years, Evelyn “Anne” White 4 Daughters, Marilyn and husband, Rev. Charles Mattix, Broken Arrow, OK Cynthia Anne White, North Lake, TX Linda Frances Donelson, Colorado Springs, CO Charlotte Kay White, Minburn, IA 2 Sons, Timothy Lee and wife Eva White, Niederwald, TX Thomas Lynn and wife Maryam White, New York City, NY 14 Grandchildren, 21 Great Grandchildren, and 11 Great Great Grandchildren, And numerous nieces and nephews and their descendants. He was preceded in death by his parents, Claud and Laura, 5 Sisters and their spouses-GayNell Doris & Paul Slocombe, Helen & Charles Higgins Stillwell, Dorthy Gene & Carl Kebert, Betty & Johnny Stepp and Claudia & Don Baxter; two sons-in-law-Tom Kurtz and Ron Donelson and one granddaughter, Jacquelyn Kurtz Thank you for supporting the family today as they say “We will see you soon, Dad.” We hope to see all of you again one day in Heaven.

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James "Jim" Lee White

November 26, 1930 - June 26, 2023