Edward J. White

Edward J. White, 84, of Livonia, passed away on September 23, 2022 with his loving wife, Mary Ann, by his side. They were married for more than 60 years.

Ed was the oldest of four in his family and the last to leave us. He grew up on Vermont Street in Detroit, just steps from Tiger Stadium and next to St. Boniface Church. "Our houses were so close together we could stick our arms out the window and touch each other," recalled boyhood neighbor Bede Louzon, who became a Capuchin priest.

Ed attended St. Vincent High School in Detroit and played football. His brother, Jack, a running back, liked to tell the story of his 50-yard-plus touchdown run, a score that was called back because of a holding penalty -- on Ed.

Ed joined the Marines in the 1950s, between the Korea and Vietnam wars, shipping out to Camp Pendleton in California from the Detroit train station. His sisters, Connie and Mary Jane, had hoped to get kimonos when they learned their big brother would be in Asia, but Ed returned without them. He awkwardly explained that a fellow Marine with a better poker hand had left him a bit short.

Ed and Mary Ann Karas were married in 1961 and settled on Dearborn's east side where they raised five kids. He worked for decades at Academy Packing in Dearborn, paying bills, managing the weekly payroll and taking meat orders from restaurants, schools and the Michigan prison system. Ed would regularly come home with boxes of steaks, hot dogs or ground beef and stuff them in the basement freezer. Mary Ann wished he would get a raise instead, but the family at least had plenty of protein.

Ed had few hobbies, though he bowled on Monday night at Mercury Lanes for the Hanses Hardware team. Each spring he would find his golf clubs for outings organized by the St. Alphonsus Men's Club. The kids got excited when mom had a hair appointment: Everyone climbed into the station wagon with their dad for dinner at A&W on Warren Avenue where a carhop would place a tray of frosty root beers and footlong hot dogs on the window. 

Ed was not a man of letters. Instead of a book, he preferred a tan and a nap at the beach or even an unanticipated plunge into the lake from a kayak. But he was a devoted reader of the Detroit newspapers until his death. When Ed Jr. was a reporter at The Grand Rapids Press, Ed and Mary Ann subscribed through the mail, an expensive commitment. Ed looked for his son's stories and would call with follow-up questions, like a sharp-eyed editor seeking more information.

It was yet another sign of loyalty to his family, a gift that his children and grandchildren were fortunate to receive.

Ed was hit with a stroke in November 2018, sapping strength from his legs, and his health began a slow decline. With Mary Ann's support, he attended his grandchildren's events when possible, with the help of a walker or a wheelchair. Ed attended a Detroit Tigers game late in the 2021 season, followed by a stop with his daughters at a casino. (His request.) Ed had better luck that night than the ballclub.

   Beloved father of Kim (David) Jenkins, Ed (Michelle) White, Erika (Bryan) Laszlo, Jennifer (Art Miller) White and Jonathon (Debbie) White. Proud grandfather of Liz and Brian Jenkins; Matthew, Ben, Nina, Natalie, Sam and Tommy White; Ethan and Sophie Laszlo; Olivia Canty and Madison Miller. Preceded in death by his parents, John and Cora White, and his siblings, Connie Smedley, Jack White, Jr., and Mary Jane Fryatt.

Funeral service Tuesday, September 27th at 11:30 a.m. at St. Kenneth Catholic Church 14951 North Haggerty Rd, Plymouth. Ed will lie in state beginning at 11:00 a.m. until time of Mass.

Visitation will be held at the Schrader-Howell Funeral Home 280 South Main St, Plymouth on Monday, September 26th from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. A Rosary service will be held at 7:00 p.m.

Memorial Contributions May be made in memory of Edward J. White To; Angela Hospice Home 14100 Newburgh Road, Livonia, Michigan  48154 or to the  Capuchin Order, Province of St. Joseph 1820 Mount Elliott Street, Detroit, Michigan 48207.