Lucille White

Lucille I. White, 93, of Colby, died Saturday, December 12, 2015 at Citizens Medical Center, Colby, Kansas. Only forty days after her husband of 75 years passing, Lucille joined Lloyd and Jesus in heaven to not miss a Christmas together.

Lucille was born November 20, 1922 in Falcon, Colorado to Pryor Reid and Pauline Dorothy Sophia (Rather) Jackson. She saw a variety of country in early years, to accommodate her father’s work: in Florida, until she was three years old; Phillipsburg, KS, where she began grade school; Agra, KS, Naponee, NE, and Ludell and Atwood, KS. Her mother, a role model for Lucille, took pride in utilizing every useful resource to care for their family, help those in need, and make a variety of attractive creations.

Upon graduating from Atwood High School in 1939, Lucille worked for a year and took “normal training” for teaching. On June 30, 1940, she married Lloyd N. White of Colby, KS, whom she had first met at a barn dance, for which his band was playing. To this union, four children were born. Lucille diligently transitioned to farm girl. With loving emphasis on family, she applied her strong work ethic to making a good home for all to thrive in. Lucille excelled in cooking, sewing, nurturing, and encouraging children to have faith in God and achieve their best.

Baptized at an early age in the Christian church of Atwood, Lucille strived to live her faith throughout her personal, family, and public life. At rural Wesley Chapel, north of Colby, and 1st United Methodist Church in Colby, she taught children’s Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, baked and decorated for “Box Suppers”, organized Methodist Men soup suppers and UMYF pheasant hunter breakfasts, and cooked for youth camps in Colorado. She, together with Lloyd and children, were honored as the “Hays District Methodist Family of the Year” in 1958.

Lucille played the strong, supporting role behind Lloyd’s community involvement. She long assisted with annual “Pioneer Day” and “Homesteader Harvest Day, the Sam White Way”, attended a wide variety of meetings, and enjoyed gracefully dancing a two-step, waltz, polka, or schottische with Lloyd, on breaks from his playing in the “Pitchfork Band”. She enjoyed work on the Thomas County Extension Council, and their team efforts at home, raising wheat corn, milo, oats, soybeans, sunflowers, cattle, hogs, horses, chickens, and ducks contributed to their being honored as “1973 Kansas Master Farmer and Master Homemaker”.

A longtime 4-H Community and project leader, Lucille taught her children to cook, her daughters to sew, and made sure all their music lessons were regularly practiced. Making most of her own detailed clothing for the majority of her years, as well as much for her children, Lucille entered the “Make It with Wool” competition and also creatively carried on her mother’s tradition of tatting. With her Wheatland Magic Mill, Lucille ground truck loads of home raised wheat, from which she baked homemade, whole-wheat bread and whole-wheat caramel pecan cinnamon rolls. She also gave demonstrations at school and community events, promoting the health and savory benefits of wheat. In addition to driving a truck in harvest, Lucille cooked scrumptious meals for the family and workers, hauled many meals to the field, and was even considered “Grandma” to custom harvester children. Prior to their moving to town in 2006, Lucille provided many years of large, memorable holiday dinners on the farm.

With faith and family top priority, Lucille especially treasured spending quality time nurturing her children and grandchildren and will long be remembered for her selfless enthusiasm to help those in need.

She was preceded in death by her husband; parents; brothers, Albert Aaron Jackson, who died in infancy, Phillip Jackson, and Walter Jackson; and sister, Wilma Rockenbaugh. Lucille is survived by son, William L. (Nancy) White, M.D., Phoenix, AZ; daughter, Shirley (Dan) Bourquin, Colby, KS; son, Larry (Becky) White, Levant, KS; and daughter, Debbie (Bob) Payne, Shidler, OK; sister, Mildred Siglinger, Phillipsburg, KS; fifteen grandchildren: Deborah (Shelly) Gabriel, Neil White, Heather Brodhurst, and Jennifer Alcala; Chad Bourquin and Bret Bourquin; Kim Hunter, Aaron White, Devon White Meyer, Layne Sitton, and Tyler Wolfe; Lacey Dale Gracia; Reg Cully, D.C., Angela Barnes and Bobby W. Payne; forty great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.

Visitation will be from 5-7:00 p.m, Thursday, December 17, 2015, at Baalmann Mortuary, Colby. Funeral Service will be at 1:00 p.m. Friday, December 18, 2015, at the Colby United Methodist Church. Memorials are suggested to the church, Prairie Museum of Art & History, or Kansas 4-H Foundation, in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 67701. Online condolences: www.baalmannmortuary.com