Sheila White

Sheila P White of Knoxville, IL, 92, passed away peacefully at 4:30 PM Saturday, November 15, 2025, at the Knox County Nursing Home.
She was born on December 2, 1932, in London, England. She was raised by her mother and stepfather, Lily and Charles Rice. She married Norman Haugen in London, England on November 7, 1953. He died in 1956. She later married Julius Jay White in Oceanside, CA, on October 16, 1962.
Left to cherish her memory are daughters Patricia (Jerry) Metcalf, Lees Summit, MO; Tina White (Matt Howard), Knoxville, IL; son Todd (Melissa) White, Huntersville, NC; granddaughters Brooke (Kyle) Nigh, Lake Winnebago, MO; Nichole (Alex) Duetmeyer, Seattle, WA; Sophia White, Huntersville, NC; and grandson Sam Smith (Madison McRorie), Morgantown, WV; great-grandsons Noah & Asher Nigh; sister Mavourneen Lester, London, England, and numerous nieces and nephews around the world. She is preceded in death by her parents, her two sisters Eileen and Brenda, her two husbands, a son Thomas B Haugen, and infant son, Glyn Haugen.
Sheila attended school at St Vincent De Paul, Victoria, London, England. She worked at Harrod's Department Store in London until she married, then was a homemaker. Later in life she worked at the PEO Home in Knoxville, IL until its closure, then at the Knox County Nursing Home in Knoxville, IL.
Sheila was of Christian faith and was very active in various churches throughout her life. Sheila had an incredible knack for making friends wherever she went. While she might not have always remembered your name, she could recall your family's history with remarkable detail. Meeting new people brought her immense joy, and she was especially proud when she became a U.S. citizen on September 29, 1995.
The family extends their sincere gratitude to OSF Hospice and the Knox County Nursing Home for the compassionate care provided to their mother during the final two months of her life.
Cremation rites have been accorded. Memorial Services will be held on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at 11:00 AM with visitation one hour prior at Hurd-Hendricks Funeral Home & Crematory in Knoxville, Illinois. Rev David Shreeves will officiate. She will be interred at the Knoxville Cemetery with her husband. The family invites everyone following the graveside services for fellowship at the Hurd-Hendricks Fellowship Center. Memorials may be made to the family; a charity will be chosen later. On-line condolences and/or expressions of sympathy may be sent through www.hurd-hendricksfuneralhome.com To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Sheila, please visit our floral store.