Percy Daniel White, 1911-2000

  The Rev. Percy D. White was born at Dare, Virginia, on May 7, 1911. He was the middle child in a family with three sons. He grew up in a Christian environment at home and dedicated himself to the Methodist ministry during high school. After spending two years at The College of William and Mary, he transferred to Emory and Henry College where he graduated with an A.B. degree in 1935. He then entered Duke Divinity School and received his B.D. degree there in 1938. In October of 1938, he entered the Virginia Conference Methodist ministry.

  While at Duke University, Percy met a nursing student named Maude Adams and they were married in 1938. They had three children and all of them attended his funeral: Dr. Percy D. White Jr., of Thousand Oaks, California; Mrs. Maude A. Wilkinson of Alexandria, Virginia; and Mrs. Elizabeth Brownstein of Davis, California. In addition, he is survived by four grandchildren from this marriage.

  For nearly 40 years, Percy White served as a pastor in the Virginia Conference with appointments at the following churches: Lynnhaven (now Virginia Beach), Courtland, Chatham, Berryville, Culpeper, Ramsey (Richmond), West End (Roanoke), Aldersgate (Hampton), Broad Street (Portsmouth), Walker Chapel (Arlington), and Belmont (Richmond). In 1964, he took a month-long tour of Methodist mission stations around the world. While active in the conference, he served on the following boards and committees: World Peace, Board of Pensions, Conference Credit Union, Advocate Board of Trustees, and Children’s Home. In addition to lecturing at several colleges on youth work, he directed youth assemblies at Blackstone and Danville, as well as youth camps at Pocahontas State Park. He attended three General Conference sessions and four Jurisdictional Conferences. He was also a delegate to two World Methodist Conferences.

  One of Percy’s special interests was the Boy Scout organization. He helped organize or reinvigorate Boy Scout troops in many of the churches that he served. His leadership in Scouting led to his becoming an active member on three different Boy Scout Councils. He was also an avid fan of professional sports, especially of the Washington Redskins. His personal sports hobbies included fishing, hunting, and golf. One of his greatest passions was gardening, always producing lots of extra vegetables that he enjoyed giving to friends and neighbors.

  While serving as pastor of Belmont in Richmond, Percy met Virginia Bevins and they were married in 1975, one year before his retirement from the ministry. Virginia’s large extended family of children and grandchildren became very important in his life since his own children were scattered so far across the country. For 10 years during retirement, Percy directed tours in almost every area of the world for Lloyd’s of London and Echols of Birmingham, Alabama. He and Virginia were also instrumental in founding the Young at Heart Club for senior citizens at Belmont, who benefited from the many tours that he planned for them along the East Coast.

  Percy and Virginia White moved to the Richmond Hermitage in May 1995, where she died in September 1998. Percy served on the following committees while living at The Hermitage: Spiritual Life, Buildings and Grounds, and Bioethics. He also taught the church school class monthly for several years. Percy D. White died on October 24, 2000, after a brief illness and now rests in God’s love and care.

— Percy D. (Danny) White Jr.