Mary "Happy" White

WHITE, MARY 'HAPPY' (TEFFT SCHWARZ), 92, of South Meadow Lane, Barrington, passed away on April 9, 2009 at home and surrounded by her loving family. She was wife of the late John Hazen White, one of Rhode Island's most prominent manufacturers and philanthropists. They had been married for 64 years, until his death in 2001 at the age of 87.

Born in Syracuse, New York on September 5, 1916, Happy was the daughter of William Tefft Schwarz and his wife Mabel Elizabeth Lowther. They made their home in Merion, PA. Her father was a successful and prominent portraitist, landscape painter and muralist. Happy apprenticed with her father in his studio while attending the Moore Institute, in Philadelphia. From her father, she developed a lifelong devotion to art that found its creative outpourings in her own watercolors, oil paintings and tiles. She was the founder of the former Happy White Gallery at St. Andrews School in Barrington.

Nicknamed Happy because of her sunny disposition, Mary Tefft Schwarz was educated at the Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut and the Moore Institute of Design. In 1976, she received a BA in Fine Arts, summa cum laude, from Roger Williams University. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Roger Williams University in 2002.

From 1937 to 1954, John and Happy White lived in Old Greenwich, CT where they raised their four daughters. Sailing was the centerpiece of their family life and they founded the Rocky Point Sailing Club in Old Greenwich. Always active in the community, Happy was a past president of the Green Fingers Garden Club and a member of the New York Junior League.

In 1954, when her husband John Hazen White, Sr. established Cranston, RI as the headquarters for his manufacturing plant, Taco, Inc., the White family moved to Barrington, RI. Happy continued her interest in contributing to the community and was a founding member of the Barrington Preservation Society. She was past president of the Providence Junior League and a member of the Barrington Yacht Club, the New Bedford Yacht Club and the New York Yacht Club. She was also a board member of the RI Philharmonic and founded the Happy White Childrens Concert Series. For several years she served as President of the Board of Trustees, St. Andrews School in Barrington where she started an art program for the students. She volunteered her time as an art instructor and eventually founded a gallery at the school that attracted many distinguished artists to offer the students an education and appreciation for a variety of art forms.

One of the major contributions made to date by Happy personally, was a substantial gift to her alma mater, Roger Williams University, to establish the Mary Tefft White Cultural Center at the university main library to host nationally recognized political leaders and scholars.

In recent years, Happy received philanthropic awards from Woman & Infants Hospital and the American Red Cross for her support of those organizations. Johnson & Wales University honored her for her contributions to the school with the Happy White Garden.

Happy White is survived by her sister Ann Grange of Bryn Mawr, PA and brother Horace Schwarz of Lancaster, PA. daughters Faith Hyde of Cambridge, MA, Priscilla Givan of Barrington, RI, Mary Perrin Scott of Delmar, NY and Margaret Houle of Enfield, CT. and her son, John Hazen White, Jr., of Barrington, 13 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her sisters Mimi Miles and Peggy Peterson.

Calling hours will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church, 191 County Road, Barrington, RI on Tuesday, April 14 from 4:00PM-7:00PM. A service to celebrate her life will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church on Wednesday, April 15 at 10:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her name may be made to RI Philharmonic Orchestra and Music School, 667 Waterman Avenue, East Providence, RI 02914, or the Memorial Garden Fund at St. John's Church, 191 County Road, Barrington, RI 02806. Visit smithmason.com for information and on-line condolences.