Sandy White

Sandy White, 1941 - 2024
Michael D. (Sandy) White died at age 82 on September 3, 2024, at Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo, Colorado from heart failure.
Sandy was born on November 8, 1941, at the Fort Leavenworth station hospital to William Bradford White and Elizabeth Jesse Montgomery; Brad was career military, having grown up in the Arkansas Valley, and Elizabeth the daughter of a Wyoming ranching family.
Sandy is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mary Danforth Ray (Mary D), as well as three children (Matt, Molly, and Montgomery) and seven grandchildren (Corinne, Logan, Woods, Thayer, Mary Lee, George, and Bree).
Following a full career as a water lawyer, Sandy retired to Huerfano County, drawn by its natural beauty and interesting people. Instead of spending his retirement as intended - hunting, fishing, shooting clays and finishing a book on a Civil War general - Sandy devoted his time to community affairs. At various times, he served on the county planning commission as well as the boards of the county historical society, the federal mineral lease district, the county water conservancy district, and the La Veta Fire Protection District, and he chaired the county Republicans as well as the Arkansas Basin Round Table. A thoughtful and committed Christian, he was also active in the La Veta Episcopal Church, the La Veta United Methodist Church and the Cuchara Christian Fellowship, in each of which he served on several committees. He also led both men's and couple's bible study for eighteen years.
After growing up in Wyoming and graduating from Cheyenne High School, Sandy attended West Point. There he captained the large bore rifle team to a national collegiate championship in 1962. Graduating in 1963, Sandy was commissioned in the Air Force, serving as an intelligence officer with extended overseas service before leaving active duty. After receiving a master's degree in operations management from the University of Southern California, he graduated from Cornell Law School and was admitted to the Colorado Bar in 1970.
Sandy's very first paying job as a teenager was loading box cars. About that time, he decided that as an adult he wanted to have "interesting work that helped people." Initially, he was hell bent on being a game warden. Then he realized that game wardens not only worked during hunting and fishing seasons but almost starved to death. While he enjoyed military service, he resented always being away from home and his new bride. Eventually, he decided on being a lawyer.
He practiced in Denver with the firm of Holland & Hart, in Grand Junction with Nelson, Hoskins, Groves & Prinster, and in Fort Collins and Denver with his own firm, eventually and still known as White & Jankowski. He served as a Master-Referee for the Colorado water courts for complex water cases (trans-mountain diversions and Federal reserved rights) and, as an advocate, he litigated over one hundred water cases throughout the Rocky Mountain West, argued over twenty-five cases on appeal in numerous appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, was inducted as a "Water Buffalo" by the Colorado Bar Association, was on the faculty of the University of Colorado and the University of Denver law schools, as well as the engineering school of Colorado State University, was the author of one book and over thirty articles on legal issues, and spoke at over one hundred legal education seminars in seventeen states.
Even when in active practice, Sandy devoted time to community matters serving on several nonprofit boards, a school board, bar association committees, and as an Elder in the Presbyterian Church. An Eagle Scout himself, he devoted much time to Scouting in which he was a cubmaster, twice a scoutmaster and once a district chairman, being the recipient of the Silver Beaver Award. He was also a history buff, particularly interested in the U.S. Army before and during the Civil War, being an active participant in the Rocky Mountain Civil War Roundtable.
Sandy's favorite leisure time activity was to be with his family upon which his affections centered. The kids were all active athletes and Sandy rarely missed one of their games. His wife and kids went along on innumerable fishing and hunting trips, including annual two-week extravaganzas every elk season and "Great Expeditions" into the mountains of Southern Colorado.
His approach to child-rearing was to make them successful and independent. All are successful and, with their families, are scattered around the country. Although proud of them all, Sandy missed having more time with his grandchildren. Sandy is also survived by his splendid wife, Mary D., a successful English scholar and lawyer in her own right. She was his best friend, conscience, and confidant. In Sandy's view, it took a patient woman to put up with him and he loved her all the more dearly for it.
Services Saturday, September 14th 11:00am
La Veta Event Center
5535 Highway 12, La Veta Colorado 81055
Interment to follow
La Veta Cemetery
802 East Garland Avenue, La Veta Colorado 81055