John William White

1938 - 2026

John William White
August 23, 1938 - March 6, 2026
John William White was born in Milford, UT August 23, 1938 to John B & Myrtle White. He attended grade school in Milford through the 3rd grade at which time the family moved to Creston, OR near Riverside. He attended 4th grade at Ten Davis school near Parma, ID. In 1949, they moved to Juntura, OR where John attended 5th through 8th grade. He graduated from Ontario High School in 1956 and attended college at Oregon State University, where he served as a member of the Army Reserve for three years and the Oregon National Guard for another three. During this time, John received an excellent marksmanship award.
In 1961, he went to work for the Oregon Highway Engineering Department in Burns. He married the love of his life, Denice Currey, on July 14, 1962. The newlyweds settled in Burns for a short period and then moved to Hermiston, OR where John continued his work with the highway department. They returned to Juntura in 1965 and John started his 30-year career in the maintenance department with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). His time included an outstanding management employee of the year award in 1991 as well as membership on the board that was tasked with establishing the maintenance academy in Monmouth, OR for ODOT employees. He retired as a supervisor and left his mark via accomplishments both at work and in keeping Oregonians safe on the roads all year long.
They raised their three sons, Tony, Andy & Carl in Juntura. The boys are John & Denice's pride and joy. During their 63 years of marriage, they spent a lot of time fishing and hunting together. As the family grew and grandkids came along, a lot of time was spent at their Blue Bucket family campsite in the Malheur National Forest. John's new retirement hobby of bow hunting had him out during elk, deer and turkey seasons. He also enjoyed digging clams at the Oregon coast.
He was preceded in death by twin sons and his parents, JB & Myrtle. He leaves behind his loving wife Denice of Juntura. He also leaves behind sister, Itha Pepperling (Bob) of BC, Canada; brothers, Tom (Candy) and Jim (Marilyn) of Juntura; his sons, Tony (Robin) of Harper, Andrew (Maria) of Portland and Carl (Tisha) of Klamath Falls; his grandkids, Gabe (Kayla) of Elgin, Teagan Stacy (Cameron) of Portland and Carter of Portland, Morgan (Megan) of Vale, Makaya Ansari of Eugene, Alana and Alicia Burdick of Klamath Falls; great grandkids, Paityn, Paisley, Hallee, Dylan, Easton, Alice, Audrey and Emilio.