Ben White

Mr. Ben White, 89, of Glennonville, Mo., died Wednesday, April 29, 2015, at his home, surrounded by loved ones.

Mr. White was born July 27, 1925, to Fredia and Ben B. White of Armorel, the second of 10 children. He grew up on Hardesty Ridge, a community of his cousins, aunts and uncles. He enjoyed this part of his early life and had a lot of fun on Hardesty Ridge.

He graduated from Armorel High School in 1943. Proudly enlisting in the U.S. Navy after graduation, Ben was a Norton bombsight and automatic pilot mechanic through the rest of World War II and was a petty officer first class at the end of the war.

Ben married his sweetheart, Geneva Hagan, on April 7, 1947, in Blytheville. They had four children when they moved to Glennonville, Missouri, in 1952. Three more children were born while living in Glennonville.

He was a dairy and row crop farmer and he built numerous houses and could overhaul a tractor engine under a tree. He was truly a jack of all trades.

Ben was a member of St. Teresa's Catholic Church and served on numerous programs, including Camp Renewal, R.C.I.A., Marriage Encounter and Cursillo. He also taught youth religion classes. He was a firm believer in the pro-life movement, having attended many pro-life marches. One of his last services to the church was as a Eucharistic minister, serving the sick and dying.

Ben was preceded in death by his parents; one daughter, Mary (Kathy) New; a son-in-law, Glenn Welman; a daughter-in-law, Kathleen White; a granddaughter, Jean (White) Caruthers; a brother, James White; and a sister, Carolyn Parker.

He is survived by his wife, Geneva Hagan White of the home;

His children, Ben E. White and wife Margie of Blytheville, Tom L. White and wife Jean of Blytheville, Dolores Welman of Bartlett, Tennessee, Loretta Hamby and husband Sidney of Bartlett, Francis R. White and wife Sharon of Southaven, Mississippi, Sister Rebecca R. White, OSU, of Maple Mount, Kentucky, and son-in-law Steven M. New of Bartlett;

One brother, Fred White of Texas;

Six sisters, Mary King of California, Dorothy Leino of Wisconsin, Naomi Inglett of Arkansas, Loretta Henoch of Indiana, Ann White of Arkansas and Margarite Preston of Missouri.

Fifteen grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren; and

Many nieces, nephews and other family members.

Visitation will be from 6-8 p.m., Friday, with Rosary at 7 p.m., at the Landess Funeral Home in Campbell, Missouri. Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Teresa Catholic Church, with Father David Dohogne officiating. Burial will follow at St. Teresa Cemetery.