The following is a transcribed letter that was sent in regards to Norman White by his friend:
January 2, 2004
It is my sad duty to inform you that Norman (Whitey) White died on December 30th at the VA Hospital in Washington DC.
He died peacefully after a 12-day stay in the hospital where he was being treated for chest congestion. A MRI and a CAT scan revealed that he had tumors in his lungs and brain.
Funeral services will be held in Rockville Maryland. On Friday, January 9, 2004, there will be a viewing at Pumphrey Funeral Home on 300 W Montgomery Ave. The viewing will be from 7 to 9PM. On Saturday, January 10th, 2004, a funeral Mass will be celebrated at ST. Mary's Church, 520 Veirs Mill Road. The Mass will be at 10:30AM. Burial will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
There is a guest book at www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com.
I share your Sadness at this news. Please feel free to contact me by letter, phone or E-mail.
Sincerely,
George Sushinsky
Obituary/Biography written by his neighbor as appeared on the Pumphrey Funeral Home website:
White, Norman V. "Whitey" (age 79)
Passed away on Tuesday, December 30, 2003, of Rockville, MD. He was a member,Cardinal O'Boyle 4th degree, of the Knights of Columbus Rock Creek Council and a member of the American Legion Post 86 in Rockville. Norman was one of ten children with one surviving brother. Loving brother of Donnie White (wife, Margo) of Phoenix, AZ. Also survived by nieces, nephews and many friends. Friends will be received at PUMPHREY'S COLONIAL FUNERAL HOME, 300 West Montgomery Avenue Rte 28 just off I-270, exit 6-A) Rockville, MD, on Friday, January 9, 2004, from 7 to 9 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 520 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20852, on Saturday, January 10, 2004 at 10:30 AM. Interment Gate of Heaven Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Norman White Scholarship Fund, c/o Rock Creek Council Knights of Columbus. Please sign and view Norman's guest book at www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com.
A Man Called Norman
Norman "Whitey" White was a sincere and gentle man. He was friendly to all he met with a word of greeting, a handshake or a wave.
He lived across the street from my family. In the last 25 years he worked his way into our family life to be like a favorite uncle or even a third father and grandfather. At St. Mary"s it was rare to see us without him or vice versa. In fact many people thought that he was my father. When my own father died in 1995, it was announced at St. Mary's. There were more than a few puzzled faces the following weeks when Norman and I showed up together for mass.
He was one of 10 brothers, only one of them, Don, has lived to see 2004. Norman never married, although he had the opportunity. It's somewhat of a shame that he did not find someone to intimately share his outgoing spirit.
When Nancy and I first invited "Mr. White" ( he was much older than us)Christmas dinner, we questioned our wisdom at doing this. How could this elderly gentleman interact with our young family? However, we found him to be a natural with children. He was so comfortable around them and actually played that Christmas day with our 2 and 5-year old children and there new toys. That first visit turned out to be one of our family�(TM)s wisest decisions and the start of a wonderful relationship.
A partial resume of what he did will include 12 years in the Air Force. With the Air force he saw Europe and Alaska and other parts of this country.
He worked in the electronics industry (Virginia Electronics, Page Electric, Denro) as a technical writer and parts provisioner. He was responsible for the lists of parts that went into making air traffic control equipment. After retirement in 1991, he made detailed personal lists of many things. So far I have found detailed lists of Popes and their history, winning lottery numbers;though he never played he was looking for a pattern, and the hundreds of books that he owned.
Norman was a 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus and is remembered as the bingo caller at the Rock Creek council. In 1971 he was named the Knight of the Year.
And at St. Mary's he may be best remembered as the usher on the left aisle at the 12:30 Mass who let the children help with the collection. Many people remembered him and the friendship he offered during his years as an usher. During the last few years, it was not unusual for a young adult to come up to him on Sundays recalling him as the usher when they were younger. He hated giving up that honor when he started using the wheel chair.
In his younger days Norman bowled, golfed, camped, and hiked. He has bowling trophies attesting to his skill at Duckpins. He also traveled to visit family. But that was before the strokes and heart attacks limited his activities and eventually confined him to the wheel chair most of associate him with.
But the wheel chair did not change who he was as a person. He was outgoing - always with a wave or a handshake to anyone he saw. He was generous and apparently helped a few of his younger co-workers pay for a college education. He was thoughtful, and unlike most men that I know, he remembered other people's special occasions (births, weddings, anniversaries, graduations) and sent cards and monetary gifts. There is a movie "Pay it Forward" about doing some act of kindness for a stranger in repayment for a favor received. Norman was on the giving end of the help when he was physically able and asked only that the person receiving the favor stop and help someone else in need.
Norman apparently was also somewhat of a con artist in his younger days, as I found out reading a letter that he wrote to his brother Orval on the occasion of Orval's 65th birthday. In the letter Norman was recalling childhood memories and talked about selling watermelons one for a nickel, or two for a dime, or three for a quarter. He sold more for a quarter than at the other prices.
Nothing was more important to Norman than his Catholic faith. He found great comfort in his Faith and especially at St. Mary's. He truly enjoyed the people of this parish and reached out in greeting to them at all times. Often as I pushed his wheel chair back from Communion, I would almost wrench his arm out of place as he reached out in friendship to those along the aisle seats.
He prayed constantly for others but especially for the unborn. He was a staunch supporter of the Right to Life and wrote letters to newspapers, The President, and the Supreme Court advocating for the repeal of the Roe v. Wade decision.
His later years were filled with sedentary and individual activities. He read a lot. Zane Gray novels were among his favorites. Recently he finished the Tolkien trilogy. The Lord of the Rings. He dabbled in stamp and coin-collecting, and worked crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles. He was so talented at jigsaw puzzles that he could put them together with the pieces turned over to show only the blank side. At Christmas, we would give him the so-called hardest puzzle ever made and he would do them easily. For the past three years, he was a charter member of the model club at St. Mary's.
It is fitting that we meet here at St. Mary's in celebration of his life today. This is time and day for the model club meeting with Fr. Downs, Dr. Joe, Art, Tom, the Friddles and my son Matt. About now they would have finished the crossword puzzle (Father Downs relied on Norman to get the hard clues), everyone would have politely chuckled at Father Down's jokes, and maybe the model club members would be ready to glue at least one piece of their model together before adjourning. Then the model club got around to its main business. At Noon the members went to Wendy's for lunch; that's when I joined them.
He never really asked for help from anyone. But none of us can get by without help from others and Norman was no exception. Jim Kurtz drove "Whitey" to work and did his grocery shopping, as he became more dependent on the wheel chair. Thurman Castellow came to his house to cut his hair after Thurman retired as a barber. Bob and Judy Taylor, Bob and Judith Spalding, Cisco and Lucia, Earnest Bacon, Bob Funkhouser, Steve Fisher and other neighbor and friends visited, or helped with the lawn and house, and just generally looked out for Mr. White.
Christmas in April provided many physical alterations to his property to meet his physical needs. Community Ministries of Rockville and Sylvia George provided him with maid services on a weekly basis, and other physical and social helps. In a letter to the Mayor of Rockville in 1993, he credited the Senior Center of Rockville with providing " the important intimate person-to-person things that make our senior years more enjoyable and livable." And so many others to whom he always was grateful.
Even with the help he received, I viewed Norman as an independent person. He maintained the necessary daily functions of living (such as cooking and bathing) without help. He would go grocery shopping or to church if Jim or I were not available to help him. On nice days he would roam through the neighborhood on his powered wheel chair greeting both friends and strangers, grateful for the blessings that he had.
Not only was he grateful, he was also generous? Last year he deeded his house to the Rockville Senior Center upon his death. And in a final act of generosity, his will assigns most of his other assets to the establishment of a college scholarship fund.
All of these things together help to define this man called Norman, as I knew him. Now he is in a better place - before the throne of God, not in Judgement for he was a good and faithful servant, but advocating for the unborn and praying for each of us.
Thank you
January 2, 2004
It is my sad duty to inform you that Norman (Whitey) White died on December 30th at the VA Hospital in Washington DC.
He died peacefully after a 12-day stay in the hospital where he was being treated for chest congestion. A MRI and a CAT scan revealed that he had tumors in his lungs and brain.
Funeral services will be held in Rockville Maryland. On Friday, January 9, 2004, there will be a viewing at Pumphrey Funeral Home on 300 W Montgomery Ave. The viewing will be from 7 to 9PM. On Saturday, January 10th, 2004, a funeral Mass will be celebrated at ST. Mary's Church, 520 Veirs Mill Road. The Mass will be at 10:30AM. Burial will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
There is a guest book at www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com.
I share your Sadness at this news. Please feel free to contact me by letter, phone or E-mail.
Sincerely,
George Sushinsky
Obituary/Biography written by his neighbor as appeared on the Pumphrey Funeral Home website:
White, Norman V. "Whitey" (age 79)
Passed away on Tuesday, December 30, 2003, of Rockville, MD. He was a member,Cardinal O'Boyle 4th degree, of the Knights of Columbus Rock Creek Council and a member of the American Legion Post 86 in Rockville. Norman was one of ten children with one surviving brother. Loving brother of Donnie White (wife, Margo) of Phoenix, AZ. Also survived by nieces, nephews and many friends. Friends will be received at PUMPHREY'S COLONIAL FUNERAL HOME, 300 West Montgomery Avenue Rte 28 just off I-270, exit 6-A) Rockville, MD, on Friday, January 9, 2004, from 7 to 9 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 520 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20852, on Saturday, January 10, 2004 at 10:30 AM. Interment Gate of Heaven Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Norman White Scholarship Fund, c/o Rock Creek Council Knights of Columbus. Please sign and view Norman's guest book at www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com.
A Man Called Norman
Norman "Whitey" White was a sincere and gentle man. He was friendly to all he met with a word of greeting, a handshake or a wave.
He lived across the street from my family. In the last 25 years he worked his way into our family life to be like a favorite uncle or even a third father and grandfather. At St. Mary"s it was rare to see us without him or vice versa. In fact many people thought that he was my father. When my own father died in 1995, it was announced at St. Mary's. There were more than a few puzzled faces the following weeks when Norman and I showed up together for mass.
He was one of 10 brothers, only one of them, Don, has lived to see 2004. Norman never married, although he had the opportunity. It's somewhat of a shame that he did not find someone to intimately share his outgoing spirit.
When Nancy and I first invited "Mr. White" ( he was much older than us)Christmas dinner, we questioned our wisdom at doing this. How could this elderly gentleman interact with our young family? However, we found him to be a natural with children. He was so comfortable around them and actually played that Christmas day with our 2 and 5-year old children and there new toys. That first visit turned out to be one of our family�(TM)s wisest decisions and the start of a wonderful relationship.
A partial resume of what he did will include 12 years in the Air Force. With the Air force he saw Europe and Alaska and other parts of this country.
He worked in the electronics industry (Virginia Electronics, Page Electric, Denro) as a technical writer and parts provisioner. He was responsible for the lists of parts that went into making air traffic control equipment. After retirement in 1991, he made detailed personal lists of many things. So far I have found detailed lists of Popes and their history, winning lottery numbers;though he never played he was looking for a pattern, and the hundreds of books that he owned.
Norman was a 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus and is remembered as the bingo caller at the Rock Creek council. In 1971 he was named the Knight of the Year.
And at St. Mary's he may be best remembered as the usher on the left aisle at the 12:30 Mass who let the children help with the collection. Many people remembered him and the friendship he offered during his years as an usher. During the last few years, it was not unusual for a young adult to come up to him on Sundays recalling him as the usher when they were younger. He hated giving up that honor when he started using the wheel chair.
In his younger days Norman bowled, golfed, camped, and hiked. He has bowling trophies attesting to his skill at Duckpins. He also traveled to visit family. But that was before the strokes and heart attacks limited his activities and eventually confined him to the wheel chair most of associate him with.
But the wheel chair did not change who he was as a person. He was outgoing - always with a wave or a handshake to anyone he saw. He was generous and apparently helped a few of his younger co-workers pay for a college education. He was thoughtful, and unlike most men that I know, he remembered other people's special occasions (births, weddings, anniversaries, graduations) and sent cards and monetary gifts. There is a movie "Pay it Forward" about doing some act of kindness for a stranger in repayment for a favor received. Norman was on the giving end of the help when he was physically able and asked only that the person receiving the favor stop and help someone else in need.
Norman apparently was also somewhat of a con artist in his younger days, as I found out reading a letter that he wrote to his brother Orval on the occasion of Orval's 65th birthday. In the letter Norman was recalling childhood memories and talked about selling watermelons one for a nickel, or two for a dime, or three for a quarter. He sold more for a quarter than at the other prices.
Nothing was more important to Norman than his Catholic faith. He found great comfort in his Faith and especially at St. Mary's. He truly enjoyed the people of this parish and reached out in greeting to them at all times. Often as I pushed his wheel chair back from Communion, I would almost wrench his arm out of place as he reached out in friendship to those along the aisle seats.
He prayed constantly for others but especially for the unborn. He was a staunch supporter of the Right to Life and wrote letters to newspapers, The President, and the Supreme Court advocating for the repeal of the Roe v. Wade decision.
His later years were filled with sedentary and individual activities. He read a lot. Zane Gray novels were among his favorites. Recently he finished the Tolkien trilogy. The Lord of the Rings. He dabbled in stamp and coin-collecting, and worked crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles. He was so talented at jigsaw puzzles that he could put them together with the pieces turned over to show only the blank side. At Christmas, we would give him the so-called hardest puzzle ever made and he would do them easily. For the past three years, he was a charter member of the model club at St. Mary's.
It is fitting that we meet here at St. Mary's in celebration of his life today. This is time and day for the model club meeting with Fr. Downs, Dr. Joe, Art, Tom, the Friddles and my son Matt. About now they would have finished the crossword puzzle (Father Downs relied on Norman to get the hard clues), everyone would have politely chuckled at Father Down's jokes, and maybe the model club members would be ready to glue at least one piece of their model together before adjourning. Then the model club got around to its main business. At Noon the members went to Wendy's for lunch; that's when I joined them.
He never really asked for help from anyone. But none of us can get by without help from others and Norman was no exception. Jim Kurtz drove "Whitey" to work and did his grocery shopping, as he became more dependent on the wheel chair. Thurman Castellow came to his house to cut his hair after Thurman retired as a barber. Bob and Judy Taylor, Bob and Judith Spalding, Cisco and Lucia, Earnest Bacon, Bob Funkhouser, Steve Fisher and other neighbor and friends visited, or helped with the lawn and house, and just generally looked out for Mr. White.
Christmas in April provided many physical alterations to his property to meet his physical needs. Community Ministries of Rockville and Sylvia George provided him with maid services on a weekly basis, and other physical and social helps. In a letter to the Mayor of Rockville in 1993, he credited the Senior Center of Rockville with providing " the important intimate person-to-person things that make our senior years more enjoyable and livable." And so many others to whom he always was grateful.
Even with the help he received, I viewed Norman as an independent person. He maintained the necessary daily functions of living (such as cooking and bathing) without help. He would go grocery shopping or to church if Jim or I were not available to help him. On nice days he would roam through the neighborhood on his powered wheel chair greeting both friends and strangers, grateful for the blessings that he had.
Not only was he grateful, he was also generous? Last year he deeded his house to the Rockville Senior Center upon his death. And in a final act of generosity, his will assigns most of his other assets to the establishment of a college scholarship fund.
All of these things together help to define this man called Norman, as I knew him. Now he is in a better place - before the throne of God, not in Judgement for he was a good and faithful servant, but advocating for the unborn and praying for each of us.
Thank you
The following is a transcribed letter that was sent in regards to Norman White by his friend:
January 2, 2004
It is my sad duty to inform you that Norman (Whitey) White died on December 30th at the VA Hospital in Washington DC.
He died peacefully after a 12-day stay in the hospital where he was being treated for chest congestion. A MRI and a CAT scan revealed that he had tumors in his lungs and brain.
Funeral services will be held in Rockville Maryland. On Friday, January 9, 2004, there will be a viewing at Pumphrey Funeral Home on 300 W Montgomery Ave. The viewing will be from 7 to 9PM. On Saturday, January 10th, 2004, a funeral Mass will be celebrated at ST. Mary's Church, 520 Veirs Mill Road. The Mass will be at 10:30AM. Burial will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
There is a guest book at www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com.
I share your Sadness at this news. Please feel free to contact me by letter, phone or E-mail.
Sincerely,
George Sushinsky
Obituary/Biography written by his neighbor as appeared on the Pumphrey Funeral Home website:
White, Norman V. "Whitey" (age 79)
Passed away on Tuesday, December 30, 2003, of Rockville, MD. He was a member,Cardinal O'Boyle 4th degree, of the Knights of Columbus Rock Creek Council and a member of the American Legion Post 86 in Rockville. Norman was one of ten children with one surviving brother. Loving brother of Donnie White (wife, Margo) of Phoenix, AZ. Also survived by nieces, nephews and many friends. Friends will be received at PUMPHREY'S COLONIAL FUNERAL HOME, 300 West Montgomery Avenue Rte 28 just off I-270, exit 6-A) Rockville, MD, on Friday, January 9, 2004, from 7 to 9 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 520 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20852, on Saturday, January 10, 2004 at 10:30 AM. Interment Gate of Heaven Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Norman White Scholarship Fund, c/o Rock Creek Council Knights of Columbus. Please sign and view Norman's guest book at www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com.
A Man Called Norman
Norman "Whitey" White was a sincere and gentle man. He was friendly to all he met with a word of greeting, a handshake or a wave.
He lived across the street from my family. In the last 25 years he worked his way into our family life to be like a favorite uncle or even a third father and grandfather. At St. Mary"s it was rare to see us without him or vice versa. In fact many people thought that he was my father. When my own father died in 1995, it was announced at St. Mary's. There were more than a few puzzled faces the following weeks when Norman and I showed up together for mass.
He was one of 10 brothers, only one of them, Don, has lived to see 2004. Norman never married, although he had the opportunity. It's somewhat of a shame that he did not find someone to intimately share his outgoing spirit.
When Nancy and I first invited "Mr. White" ( he was much older than us)Christmas dinner, we questioned our wisdom at doing this. How could this elderly gentleman interact with our young family? However, we found him to be a natural with children. He was so comfortable around them and actually played that Christmas day with our 2 and 5-year old children and there new toys. That first visit turned out to be one of our family�(TM)s wisest decisions and the start of a wonderful relationship.
A partial resume of what he did will include 12 years in the Air Force. With the Air force he saw Europe and Alaska and other parts of this country.
He worked in the electronics industry (Virginia Electronics, Page Electric, Denro) as a technical writer and parts provisioner. He was responsible for the lists of parts that went into making air traffic control equipment. After retirement in 1991, he made detailed personal lists of many things. So far I have found detailed lists of Popes and their history, winning lottery numbers;though he never played he was looking for a pattern, and the hundreds of books that he owned.
Norman was a 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus and is remembered as the bingo caller at the Rock Creek council. In 1971 he was named the Knight of the Year.
And at St. Mary's he may be best remembered as the usher on the left aisle at the 12:30 Mass who let the children help with the collection. Many people remembered him and the friendship he offered during his years as an usher. During the last few years, it was not unusual for a young adult to come up to him on Sundays recalling him as the usher when they were younger. He hated giving up that honor when he started using the wheel chair.
In his younger days Norman bowled, golfed, camped, and hiked. He has bowling trophies attesting to his skill at Duckpins. He also traveled to visit family. But that was before the strokes and heart attacks limited his activities and eventually confined him to the wheel chair most of associate him with.
But the wheel chair did not change who he was as a person. He was outgoing - always with a wave or a handshake to anyone he saw. He was generous and apparently helped a few of his younger co-workers pay for a college education. He was thoughtful, and unlike most men that I know, he remembered other people's special occasions (births, weddings, anniversaries, graduations) and sent cards and monetary gifts. There is a movie "Pay it Forward" about doing some act of kindness for a stranger in repayment for a favor received. Norman was on the giving end of the help when he was physically able and asked only that the person receiving the favor stop and help someone else in need.
Norman apparently was also somewhat of a con artist in his younger days, as I found out reading a letter that he wrote to his brother Orval on the occasion of Orval's 65th birthday. In the letter Norman was recalling childhood memories and talked about selling watermelons one for a nickel, or two for a dime, or three for a quarter. He sold more for a quarter than at the other prices.
Nothing was more important to Norman than his Catholic faith. He found great comfort in his Faith and especially at St. Mary's. He truly enjoyed the people of this parish and reached out in greeting to them at all times. Often as I pushed his wheel chair back from Communion, I would almost wrench his arm out of place as he reached out in friendship to those along the aisle seats.
He prayed constantly for others but especially for the unborn. He was a staunch supporter of the Right to Life and wrote letters to newspapers, The President, and the Supreme Court advocating for the repeal of the Roe v. Wade decision.
His later years were filled with sedentary and individual activities. He read a lot. Zane Gray novels were among his favorites. Recently he finished the Tolkien trilogy. The Lord of the Rings. He dabbled in stamp and coin-collecting, and worked crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles. He was so talented at jigsaw puzzles that he could put them together with the pieces turned over to show only the blank side. At Christmas, we would give him the so-called hardest puzzle ever made and he would do them easily. For the past three years, he was a charter member of the model club at St. Mary's.
It is fitting that we meet here at St. Mary's in celebration of his life today. This is time and day for the model club meeting with Fr. Downs, Dr. Joe, Art, Tom, the Friddles and my son Matt. About now they would have finished the crossword puzzle (Father Downs relied on Norman to get the hard clues), everyone would have politely chuckled at Father Down's jokes, and maybe the model club members would be ready to glue at least one piece of their model together before adjourning. Then the model club got around to its main business. At Noon the members went to Wendy's for lunch; that's when I joined them.
He never really asked for help from anyone. But none of us can get by without help from others and Norman was no exception. Jim Kurtz drove "Whitey" to work and did his grocery shopping, as he became more dependent on the wheel chair. Thurman Castellow came to his house to cut his hair after Thurman retired as a barber. Bob and Judy Taylor, Bob and Judith Spalding, Cisco and Lucia, Earnest Bacon, Bob Funkhouser, Steve Fisher and other neighbor and friends visited, or helped with the lawn and house, and just generally looked out for Mr. White.
Christmas in April provided many physical alterations to his property to meet his physical needs. Community Ministries of Rockville and Sylvia George provided him with maid services on a weekly basis, and other physical and social helps. In a letter to the Mayor of Rockville in 1993, he credited the Senior Center of Rockville with providing " the important intimate person-to-person things that make our senior years more enjoyable and livable." And so many others to whom he always was grateful.
Even with the help he received, I viewed Norman as an independent person. He maintained the necessary daily functions of living (such as cooking and bathing) without help. He would go grocery shopping or to church if Jim or I were not available to help him. On nice days he would roam through the neighborhood on his powered wheel chair greeting both friends and strangers, grateful for the blessings that he had.
Not only was he grateful, he was also generous? Last year he deeded his house to the Rockville Senior Center upon his death. And in a final act of generosity, his will assigns most of his other assets to the establishment of a college scholarship fund.
All of these things together help to define this man called Norman, as I knew him. Now he is in a better place - before the throne of God, not in Judgement for he was a good and faithful servant, but advocating for the unborn and praying for each of us.
Thank you
January 2, 2004
It is my sad duty to inform you that Norman (Whitey) White died on December 30th at the VA Hospital in Washington DC.
He died peacefully after a 12-day stay in the hospital where he was being treated for chest congestion. A MRI and a CAT scan revealed that he had tumors in his lungs and brain.
Funeral services will be held in Rockville Maryland. On Friday, January 9, 2004, there will be a viewing at Pumphrey Funeral Home on 300 W Montgomery Ave. The viewing will be from 7 to 9PM. On Saturday, January 10th, 2004, a funeral Mass will be celebrated at ST. Mary's Church, 520 Veirs Mill Road. The Mass will be at 10:30AM. Burial will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.
There is a guest book at www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com.
I share your Sadness at this news. Please feel free to contact me by letter, phone or E-mail.
Sincerely,
George Sushinsky
Obituary/Biography written by his neighbor as appeared on the Pumphrey Funeral Home website:
White, Norman V. "Whitey" (age 79)
Passed away on Tuesday, December 30, 2003, of Rockville, MD. He was a member,Cardinal O'Boyle 4th degree, of the Knights of Columbus Rock Creek Council and a member of the American Legion Post 86 in Rockville. Norman was one of ten children with one surviving brother. Loving brother of Donnie White (wife, Margo) of Phoenix, AZ. Also survived by nieces, nephews and many friends. Friends will be received at PUMPHREY'S COLONIAL FUNERAL HOME, 300 West Montgomery Avenue Rte 28 just off I-270, exit 6-A) Rockville, MD, on Friday, January 9, 2004, from 7 to 9 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 520 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD 20852, on Saturday, January 10, 2004 at 10:30 AM. Interment Gate of Heaven Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Norman White Scholarship Fund, c/o Rock Creek Council Knights of Columbus. Please sign and view Norman's guest book at www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com.
A Man Called Norman
Norman "Whitey" White was a sincere and gentle man. He was friendly to all he met with a word of greeting, a handshake or a wave.
He lived across the street from my family. In the last 25 years he worked his way into our family life to be like a favorite uncle or even a third father and grandfather. At St. Mary"s it was rare to see us without him or vice versa. In fact many people thought that he was my father. When my own father died in 1995, it was announced at St. Mary's. There were more than a few puzzled faces the following weeks when Norman and I showed up together for mass.
He was one of 10 brothers, only one of them, Don, has lived to see 2004. Norman never married, although he had the opportunity. It's somewhat of a shame that he did not find someone to intimately share his outgoing spirit.
When Nancy and I first invited "Mr. White" ( he was much older than us)Christmas dinner, we questioned our wisdom at doing this. How could this elderly gentleman interact with our young family? However, we found him to be a natural with children. He was so comfortable around them and actually played that Christmas day with our 2 and 5-year old children and there new toys. That first visit turned out to be one of our family�(TM)s wisest decisions and the start of a wonderful relationship.
A partial resume of what he did will include 12 years in the Air Force. With the Air force he saw Europe and Alaska and other parts of this country.
He worked in the electronics industry (Virginia Electronics, Page Electric, Denro) as a technical writer and parts provisioner. He was responsible for the lists of parts that went into making air traffic control equipment. After retirement in 1991, he made detailed personal lists of many things. So far I have found detailed lists of Popes and their history, winning lottery numbers;though he never played he was looking for a pattern, and the hundreds of books that he owned.
Norman was a 4th degree member of the Knights of Columbus and is remembered as the bingo caller at the Rock Creek council. In 1971 he was named the Knight of the Year.
And at St. Mary's he may be best remembered as the usher on the left aisle at the 12:30 Mass who let the children help with the collection. Many people remembered him and the friendship he offered during his years as an usher. During the last few years, it was not unusual for a young adult to come up to him on Sundays recalling him as the usher when they were younger. He hated giving up that honor when he started using the wheel chair.
In his younger days Norman bowled, golfed, camped, and hiked. He has bowling trophies attesting to his skill at Duckpins. He also traveled to visit family. But that was before the strokes and heart attacks limited his activities and eventually confined him to the wheel chair most of associate him with.
But the wheel chair did not change who he was as a person. He was outgoing - always with a wave or a handshake to anyone he saw. He was generous and apparently helped a few of his younger co-workers pay for a college education. He was thoughtful, and unlike most men that I know, he remembered other people's special occasions (births, weddings, anniversaries, graduations) and sent cards and monetary gifts. There is a movie "Pay it Forward" about doing some act of kindness for a stranger in repayment for a favor received. Norman was on the giving end of the help when he was physically able and asked only that the person receiving the favor stop and help someone else in need.
Norman apparently was also somewhat of a con artist in his younger days, as I found out reading a letter that he wrote to his brother Orval on the occasion of Orval's 65th birthday. In the letter Norman was recalling childhood memories and talked about selling watermelons one for a nickel, or two for a dime, or three for a quarter. He sold more for a quarter than at the other prices.
Nothing was more important to Norman than his Catholic faith. He found great comfort in his Faith and especially at St. Mary's. He truly enjoyed the people of this parish and reached out in greeting to them at all times. Often as I pushed his wheel chair back from Communion, I would almost wrench his arm out of place as he reached out in friendship to those along the aisle seats.
He prayed constantly for others but especially for the unborn. He was a staunch supporter of the Right to Life and wrote letters to newspapers, The President, and the Supreme Court advocating for the repeal of the Roe v. Wade decision.
His later years were filled with sedentary and individual activities. He read a lot. Zane Gray novels were among his favorites. Recently he finished the Tolkien trilogy. The Lord of the Rings. He dabbled in stamp and coin-collecting, and worked crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles. He was so talented at jigsaw puzzles that he could put them together with the pieces turned over to show only the blank side. At Christmas, we would give him the so-called hardest puzzle ever made and he would do them easily. For the past three years, he was a charter member of the model club at St. Mary's.
It is fitting that we meet here at St. Mary's in celebration of his life today. This is time and day for the model club meeting with Fr. Downs, Dr. Joe, Art, Tom, the Friddles and my son Matt. About now they would have finished the crossword puzzle (Father Downs relied on Norman to get the hard clues), everyone would have politely chuckled at Father Down's jokes, and maybe the model club members would be ready to glue at least one piece of their model together before adjourning. Then the model club got around to its main business. At Noon the members went to Wendy's for lunch; that's when I joined them.
He never really asked for help from anyone. But none of us can get by without help from others and Norman was no exception. Jim Kurtz drove "Whitey" to work and did his grocery shopping, as he became more dependent on the wheel chair. Thurman Castellow came to his house to cut his hair after Thurman retired as a barber. Bob and Judy Taylor, Bob and Judith Spalding, Cisco and Lucia, Earnest Bacon, Bob Funkhouser, Steve Fisher and other neighbor and friends visited, or helped with the lawn and house, and just generally looked out for Mr. White.
Christmas in April provided many physical alterations to his property to meet his physical needs. Community Ministries of Rockville and Sylvia George provided him with maid services on a weekly basis, and other physical and social helps. In a letter to the Mayor of Rockville in 1993, he credited the Senior Center of Rockville with providing " the important intimate person-to-person things that make our senior years more enjoyable and livable." And so many others to whom he always was grateful.
Even with the help he received, I viewed Norman as an independent person. He maintained the necessary daily functions of living (such as cooking and bathing) without help. He would go grocery shopping or to church if Jim or I were not available to help him. On nice days he would roam through the neighborhood on his powered wheel chair greeting both friends and strangers, grateful for the blessings that he had.
Not only was he grateful, he was also generous? Last year he deeded his house to the Rockville Senior Center upon his death. And in a final act of generosity, his will assigns most of his other assets to the establishment of a college scholarship fund.
All of these things together help to define this man called Norman, as I knew him. Now he is in a better place - before the throne of God, not in Judgement for he was a good and faithful servant, but advocating for the unborn and praying for each of us.
Thank you
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