REV. DR. JOHN WESLEY WHITE

REV. DR. JOHN WESLEY WHITE Christian evangelist, broadcaster, author, and educator, Dr. White passed away on September 4, 2016 in his 88th year in Toronto. He was a 2013 Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient for his service to Canada. The burning conviction from boyhood to preach the gospel led him on an extraordinary life journey, beginning in depression-era Saskatchewan where he enjoyed hockey, music, and motorcycling while, from age 15, preaching on weekends and vacations. After studying at Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College (BA 1952) in Chicago, he travelled to Belfast, N. Ireland where he fell in love with and soon married Kathleen Calderwood, who became his lifelong partner in evangelism and mother of their four sons. During the next decade, John held hundreds of evangelistic services yearly in the UK while also completing his D.Phil. in ecclesiastical history at Oxford University in 1963. That year, his learned, topically rich and dynamic preaching style appealed to Billy Graham, who hired him as an associate evangelist to conduct mid-size city crusades across North America and gospel missions internationally in Africa, Asia, India and Australia. Settling in Toronto in 1965, Dr. White expanded his ministry to television in the 1970s, with the Agape and Join the Family programs broadcast across Canada. In 1967 he co-founded Richmond College, Canada's first Christian liberal arts college, and served as its chancellor before it became Canada Christian College. In addition to conducting sermon and book-writing research for Billy Graham, Dr. White wrote over twenty books on topics ranging from evangelism and biblical prophesy ( Re-Entry ), to fiction ( The Prodigal Son ), to a personal memoir on the death of his son, John Wesley White, Jr. In 1988, he began mentoring Franklin Graham and partnered with him in several evangelistic crusades. His life in ministry came to a crushing halt a decade later when in 1996 he experienced a devastating stroke that left him virtually speechless and physically disabled. His remarkable journey back from depression to a life of spiritual renewal and productivity is recorded in Suddenly Silenced, an inspiration to stroke victims everywhere and a testimony to his unshakeable religious faith. John was a dedicated and affectionate husband and father. He taught his sons to play trumpet, trombone, and piano, designed his own backyard swimming pool for them, coached them for years in hockey, and loved vacations boating and waterskiing with them. Despite his stroke and losing two beloved sons, he remained cheerful, generous of spirit and grateful of God's blessings for a long, fruitful life, enjoying his final years surrounded by loving friends and staff at Shepherd Village Retirement Residence. He was predeceased by Kathleen and sons Wesley and Bill. Surviving are sons Paul, with wife Paula and grandchildren William, Isidore and Finnan, and Randy, with wife Lorraine and grandchildren Braeden and Sara. The funeral service will be held at the People's Church, 374 Shepherd Ave. East, Toronto, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 10th with reception to follow. Visitation is on Friday, September 9th from 7 to 9 p.m.