February 26, 1934 - July 24, 2023
It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Leo White of Gibsons BC. He was a very dedicated and loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, son, brother and uncle.
Leo is survived by his loving wife Gail; his Children Steven (Cheryl), Linnea (Blair), Anita (Brian), Julie (Bobby), Debbie (Billy), Marcie (Kenny); his grandchildren, Cara (Michael), Jeffrey (Chantel), Scott (Clare), Brendan, Kyla, Cory. Ryan, Austin (Avery), Cameron, Brandon and Nathan; his great-grandchildren, Monias, Tatum, Akira, Grace, Hudzon, Emily, Kielan and Wyatt; as well his brothers Gary, Willy and Ralph.
Leo is predeceased by his first wife Shirley; his daughter Dawn, his parents Bernice, Clifford, Gilbert and his brothers Melvin, Ronald and sister Donna.
Leo was born to Clifford and Bernice White who had three sons together. Bernice remarried to Gilbert Stensaker after Clifford was tragically killed in a logging accident and they subsequently had four more children to round out the family. Leo started work with Nabob/Dickson’s coffee at the age of 19 and worked there for 37 years.
On June 4,1955 Leo and Shirley Bourne were married and lived happily with their family in Burnaby until making a decision to move to Gibsons for retirement in 1990. His beloved wife Shirley passed away in May 1995 after a long illness.
Leo met his wife Gail in 1998 and they were married August 19, 2000. Throughout their 25 years together they have shared many fun adventures. Numerous vacations were shared with best friends, Bill and Heather James. Family visits and vacations always made for great memories that will be cherished. Dancing was always one of their favorite activities. They made a great team and she will miss him tremendously.
Leo was a very avid fisherman and loved to be out on the ocean whenever he could. He did many long hikes with his brother Gary like the West Coast trail and paddled Bowron Lake chain along with many more adventures with friends and family. During and prior to Leo’s retirement he served for many years as a Power Squadron leader, member of the Provincial Emergency Support Services, Coast Guard Coxswain for search and rescue in Gibsons area and later worked for RCMP. In retirement he was also a volunteer at Christenson Village seniors home and an Ambassador for BC Ferries. Leo was always there to offer friendly words and to help whoever needed it. Leo discovered the joy of painting and later attended an art group every Wednesday. Many of those paintings are on the walls of his family’s homes.
The family would like to thank the nurses and staff at Shorncliffe for taking great care of Leo. They enjoyed his stories and great sense of humor.
Leo will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved him.
