Dwain C. White

1916 - 2007

Dwain Coolridge White of Corning, died Tuesday afternoon May 15 at Enloe Hospital in Chico.

He was 90 years old, just two weeks short of his 91st birthday.

Dwain was born May 25, 1916 to Mike and Anna Hardwick White in Lamont, Oklahoma. He was raised on the family ranch near Lamont, where he attended local schools, graduating high school at 15 after skipping two grades.

Dwain left Oklahoma in the mid 1930's and follower his sister Lucille to California. He worked for McDonald Douglas Aircraft in Los Angeles for a time, before heading to Red Bluff. He worked as a heavy equipment operator for several years building roads and reservoirs throughout Northern California for Dee Snelson and Baker Brothers construction.

He also worked as a dozer operator with the Army Corp of Engineers during the war on several projects in the Bay Area, as well as working on the Chico Airport, which was then used as a military training facility.

In 1953 he was employed by the Tehama County Road Department where he was a road foreman, and was very proud of all the roads he helped construct.

He retired in 1978 at the age of 62 after 25 years of service. Besides his job, he also raised cattle and sheep, and dryland farmed grain. After his retirement he worked full time right up until the time of his death.

During his younger years he was very involved with Tehama County 4-H as a leader. He also helped plan and construct Camp Tehama near Mineral, and was a member of the Camp Tehama Committee from 1952-1978. He was a member of Oddfellows Lodge, Independent Grange, First Christian Church, Tehama County Woolgrowers, California Cattlemans Assn., and was a
50+ year member of the Masonic Lodge. He loved watching his children and grandchildren playing sports, and was past president of the Corning Boosters Club, receiving the Exhausted Booster award in 1974 for not missing a Corning High football game for many years. He also helped coach Little League in the 1960's.

He married Esther Jobe on May 11, 1940; and was happily married for 53 years until her death in 1993. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Doug and Kathy White; and daughter and son-in-law Marianna and Lonnie Franklin, all of Corning; grandchildren Jeff White of Corning, and Julie White of Anderson; step-grandchildren Marci Franklin of Florida, Amanda Krieg of Montana, and Duke Franklin of Chico; three step -granddaughters; three brothers and a sister, Milt, Max, Luella, and Elmer from Oklahoma and Texas; Will Chenoweth who he helped raise as a child.

He was preceded in death by his wife; and sister Lucille Snelson.

Visitation will be Friday, May 18, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm., at Halls Brothers Corning Mortuary.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, May 19, 2007 at 2:00 pm at Sunset Hill Cemetery.

Donations may be made to the Corning Rural Fire Department.