Sidney Carroll (Bill) White 86, died Wednesday evening, 11 November, at home in Kirby Pines surrounded by his family. Bill was born in Memphis, Tennessee, June 22, 1923, to S. Carroll and Elizabeth Leigh White. He graduated from Bartlett High School and enlisted in the US Navy in November of 1942. He was selected for pilot training and earned his wings as a US Navy carrier pilot in 1944, flying SBD Dauntless and SB2C Helldiver attack aircraft, serving in the Atlantic Fleet until separation in August of 1946. He remained in the Naval Reserve and retired as a Commander in 1971. He enrolled at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina as a veteran student, and graduated in 1949 with a business degree as a member of the first non-military cadet student body. He was married to Corinne (Sweetie) Gale in 1949 who passed away in 1976. Bill followed his father in the lumber business and worked in South Carolina, California, and New Orleans before returning to his home in Memphis to work for Armour C. Bowen Lumber Company. He joined Koppers Company in 1971 and was directly responsible for the operation of twenty three sawmill facilities. He married Maryestel Ford in 1977 and in 1978 was recruited by the National Hardwood Lumberman’s Association (NHLA) as their Executive Manager. He led the NHLA through the transition move from Chicago to a showplace headquarters facility in Memphis. He retired from the NHLA 1988. Bill was a member of Germantown United Methodist and a former member of the Whitehaven United Methodist Church where he was an adult Sunday School teacher for many years. As a member of the Lumberman’s Club of Memphis, he was elected President in 1976 and voted Outstanding Lumberman of the Year in 1986. He spearheaded the effort to showcase the hardwood lumber industry in Memphis by commissioning the Hardwoods In Dimension exhibit at the Memphis Airport, which now hangs at Mud Island. Additionally, he served on the Board of Directors for Agricenter International. Bill delighted in the camaraderie of long time industry relationships, most especially the group known as members of the “”Termite Table””. He is survived by his loving wife Maryestel, of 34 years; his sister Martha Bennett of Lewisburg, Kentucky; his two sons Carroll (Anne) of St. Louis, Missouri, and David (Karen), of the Woodlands, Texas; his daughters Gale White Nyseth of Franklin, Tennessee, Kay Lloyd (Bob) of Maui, Hawaii; Leigh Scheele of Memphis, and Daphne Hewitt of Memphis; eleven grand children and eight great-grandchildren. Visitation will be Friday, November 13, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Memorial Park Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, November 14 at Germantown United Methodist Church, located at 2331 S. Germantown Rd. Germantown, TN, followed by interment at Elmwood Cemetery. Donations may be made to Germantown United Methodist Church in lieu of flowers. Tags: 1949
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