IRA CLIFFORD WHITE

1915 - 2016

On Tuesday, February 16, 2016, IRA CLIFFORD WHITE said a final goodbye to all those he loved in his one hundred and one years and left to be with the Lord. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 56 years, Odana Dora; their oldest daughter, Rawnie Kaye and her husband Joe Waldrop; as well as six of his siblings (Bob, Glen, Arguerite, Rose, Billie Claire, and Chilk) - all of whom are wondering what took him so long to join their party in Heaven. He is also preceded in death by his second wife, Nellie McCallister, of Burnsville, WV. Ira was born in January of 1915 to Ira Cleveland White and May Hart Wolfe White of Culloden, and baptized in the waters of Balls Branch as a member of the Culloden Baptist Church. He worked from a young age across the region with the White family sawmill and the White & Handley drilling company. At the age of 17 he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression to help support the family of 11, spending his time in the Canaan Valley building cabins and clearings for the State Park Service. In March 1938, after having returned to the oil and gas business, he met Odana Dora Mathews and within two weeks, called her his bride. In their lifetime together they welcomed into the world two daughters and a son: Rawnie Kaye, Robin Lynette, and Roderick Carroll Matthew. Ira joined Ironworkers Local 301 in 1941 and was sent as part of a crew to Tennessee to work on what was then called the "Secret City" - later to be known as the Manhattan Project. In 1944, at the age of 28, Ira volunteered to answer the call of our Nation and joined the Navy. He served in the Pacific Theatre aboard the USS Missouri and the USS Taussig, as well part of DESRON 61, one of the first forces to invade Tokyo Bay, which contributed to Japan's surrender. He was honorably discharged in 1946; however, his sense of civic duty was something that drove his life even after he returned home to Culloden, WV. He actively supported local schools, was pivotal in the founding of the Culloden Volunteer Fire Department, as well as the Culloden Public Service District which provides city-managed water and sewer to the unincorporated community. His professional life led him through many grand builds including Top O Rock, the Charleston National Bank Building (at the time, the tallest building in the Capitol City), and many of the schools built in the area from 1960-1980. He retired as General Superintendent from Industrial Construction in Charleston. In his personal life Ira was a 50+ year member and 32nd degree Freemason (Putnam Lodge #139), and was an avid member of the Culloden Lions Club, the Beni Kedem Shriners of Charleston, and the American Legion Post #139. His personal life was as vibrant as the hills that he so loved to explore as a fisherman and RV-travellin' camper. He took his family on many adventures both inside and outside of these West Virginia hills. He is greatly beloved and will be forever missed by those of us who remain behind: his sisters Emma Hall and Pauline "Pooch" Sunderland; his daughter Robin and her husband Alan Chaney, his son Roderick and his partner Rocky Pitzer; grandchildren, Natalie and her husband Bill Hollyfield, Ric Forbes and his wife Brandi, Katie and her husband Dan vonHerrmann, and Odana Chaney; his great-grandchildren, Seth, Beth, Emmarose, and Liam- as well as many, many nieces and nephews of all degrees. His impact on both his family and community has been immeasurable, and his death marks the end of a family chapter that will be read and reread throughout the generations, to teach and remember all of the history that has afforded our existence to be so joyous. In lieu of flowers the family requests that you consider a donation to the Historic Culloden Cemetery, earmarked for a new Veteran's Memorial; or the Shriners Children's Hospital. Funeral Service will be 11 a.m. Saturday, February 20, 2016, at Allen Funeral Home, Hurricane, WV. Burial will follow in White Chapel Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday at Allen Funeral Home. Please visit www.allenfuneralhomewv.com to share memories and condolences.