Evelyn Anne White

Life Story of Evelyn Anne White Evelyn Anne Bryant, commonly known as Anne or Annie, born on Saturday, May 7, 1932, in Collinsville, Oklahoma, was the first child of Byron Hugh (BH) and Ruby Elizabeth Pugh Bryant. She passed this life on April 1, 2024 at Iris Memory Care in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Growing up in Collinsville, Anne was involved in sports and social activities. She was on the women’s basketball team and was also a debutante. She was crowned Miss Collinsville in 1950 and enjoyed her regal parade ride atop bags of fertilizer. She was also artistic, and would beautifully colorize black and white portraits of herself and of her classmates. Anne attended the Community Church. In the summer of 1950, after graduating from Collinsville High School, Anne went to work a week at summer youth camp, where her pastor was also working. The pastor pulled another camp worker, Jim White, aside and told him that he had just the girl for him. After being introduced, Jim and Anne were immediately drawn to each other. A few weeks after camp, Jim had to return to his college job in Delaware. But, two weeks later he came back to claim his bride. They were married in her pastor’s home on August 25, 1950, with Don & Marilu Evans as their witnesses. Her parents and little brother were away on a vacation trip, and couldn’t be reached prior to the wedding. After they left to drive to Delaware, Anne’s family came home and found the note that she had gotten married and was leaving for Delaware. Anne’s dad and her little brother Hugh got in the car and headed out to find them. When they caught up with them, they found them pulled over on the side of the road. They stopped to see what help they needed. But they found that Jim and Anne had pulled over to pray together. Jim and Anne were blessed with six healthy children, and from those children, they gained 14 grandchildren. The saying, “A child of my child is twice my child” certainly applied to Jim and Anne. Anne was highly involved in the lives of her grandchildren. She and Jim visited their children and families as often as possible, driving all over the country, even flying to Germany to visit Tim in the Air Force. The grandkids frequently spent time visiting in their grandparents’ home and sometimes, with their parents, they lived for a time with Grannie and Pops. The more they were with Grannie, the closer they became. Relationships were forged deeply for life. Every grandchild felt like they were the most special and Grannie’s favorite. Anne was the consummate caregiver. She devoted herself to the care of her children and that spilled over to caring for other children. Even when her own children were grown and away from home, if one of them had an emergency, Anne would drop everything and go to their aide, staying with them as long as it took to get them back on their feet. When she showed up, everyone breathed a sigh of relief knowing that she would take care of what they were unable to do. Tom remembers that when Marilyn and Tim left for their first day of school, he was sad to be left behind, and Mom noticed. The next day she packed him a sack lunch and he walked Marilyn and Tim to the bus and then played in the yard until lunch time. Also, she always tried to make staying home sick easier on her kids, being sure to have fresh crayons and coloring books on hand to keep them busy while recuperating. Anne was a mom to her children’s spouses as well. Eva tells that “when her mother died suddenly, Anne told her, ‘I will be your Mother now.’ And she has been the best Mother and Mother-in-Law. Thanks for loving us ALL!” Her son-in-law Charles, aka Buster, felt the same love from Anne, and cherished her being his second mom! Maryam also deeply loved Anne and treasured the times they had together. Tom Kurtz, Charlotte’s late husband, delighted in teasing Anne with mother-in-law jokes. She loved to laugh and have fun with his antics. Ron Donelson, Linda’s late husband, was very close to Jim and Anne. On the evening of his passing, he had called them to check in and tell them he was going out for his routine exercise of riding his bike and told them he loved them. Everyone in her family knew they were loved unconditionally. Jim and Anne were also very committed to and active in their home church. They taught classes and she worked in the nursery and became a second mother to many kids. The relationship with Vern & Paula Johnson and kids, started at Grace Bible Church, led to a lifelong friendship. The Johnson kids still know her as Momma White. Anne’s last days were spent in Iris Memory Care Center, assisted by a super army of loving, caring, knowledgeable and fabulous staff. Many feel more like family now than just caregivers. Her children cherished the help and comfort they offered their mother. Anne became very close to a group of ladies with whom she shared the meal table, and they were eventually dubbed the Golden Girls. No one else was supposed to sit at their table. The daughters of a couple of the ladies were often at the table with them and it was always a fun time. The friendships formed there comforted Anne on a daily basis. Also, Good Shepherd Hospice care was a godsend to Anne, and also to the family. She was loved, tenderly cared for, encouraged, made to laugh and given support that carried her and the family who came to be with her through even the tough times. Anne is survived by her younger brother Hugh Bryant, and also by her children: Daughters, Marilyn and husband, Charles Mattix of Broken Arrow, OK, Cynthia Anne White of North Lake, TX, Linda Frances Donelson of Colorado Springs, CO, Charlotte Kay White of Minburn, IA; Sons, Timothy Lee and wife Eva White, Niederwald, TX, Thomas Lynn and wife Maryam White, New York City, NY; 13 Grandchildren, 22 Great Grandchildren, and 13 Great Great Grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. Anne was preceded in death by her husband, Jim, her parents, two sons-in-law-Tom Kurtz and Ron Donelson and one granddaughter, Jacquelyn Kurtz.

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Evelyn Anne White

May 7, 1932 - April 1, 2024