Forest Gene White

Forest Gene White, age 77, of Grants Pass, died September 8, 2008 at his home.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m., Sunday, September 14, 2008 at First Christian Church with Pastor Wes Winn officiating. Hull & Hull Funeral Directors are in charge of arrangements.

He was born April 22, 1931 in Versailles, Missouri to Forest Ernest & Gladys Louise White. The family moved to Parkdale, Oregon in 1944. Gene graduated from Eugene High School in 1949.

He worked in Eugene and Salem as an Automotive Service Manager for Kendall Ford, the youngest in the nation in 1951, then McKinney Motors. He married Tish in 1950. They moved their family to Grants Pass in 1963, opening Gene’s Union Service and bought out Wimer’s Battery & Electric in 1965. He became Josephine County Fleet Maintenance Manager in 1972. He retired from that position in 1993.

He was an enthusiastic member of the Rogue River Accordion Club, entertaining weekly at local nursing homes. He was a member of the Order of the Arrow. For 43 years he was an active ‘ham’ radio operator, involved locally to globally with SOARC, ORARES, MARS, ARRL. He was instrumental in Gov. McCall declaring the first Ham Radio Operator’s Day and building the first Emergency Services Vehicle for Josephine County. He was a founding member of the Josephine County Sportsman’s Association and the Rogue Valley Bow Hunters. He played violin with the Rogue Valley Orchestra for many years, taught violin and accordion lessons, and repaired instruments as a hobby. He was also a member of the Karen’s Kitchen Koffee Klatch. He was a lifetime member of First Christian Church.

In addition to his wife of 58 years, Tish; survivors include his daughter and son, Debbi White (Ayriss-Lard) of Bend, Oregon and Kyle White and wife Cynthia of Talent, Oregon; three sisters, Leta Rath of San Rafael, California, Joy Krumdieck of Tumalo, Oregon and Marjorie White of Eugene, Oregon; his brother Don White died in 1990. He had six grandchildren Travis, Justin, and Levi Ayriss, Zakary Lard, Kari Wilson , and Kevin Shackelford and four great-grandsons Michael, Jessie, Danny, and Brendan.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Christian Church, 305 SW H Street, Grants Pass, Oregon 97526.