Lola Jean White

1927 - 2020

Lola Jean White, passed peacefully, Sunday, Feb 2, surrounded by her loving family. She was preceded in death by her husband, Benjamin P. White; parents, Fred and Nellie Owen; siblings, Gale, Ruth, Elaine (Gerben Veldt), Glenn, Fred N., Shirley, Wallace, Eleanor Owen and Marion (Peter) Kallewaard; and great-grandson, Nikolai J Miller.

She is survived by her children, Jim and Jan White; their children, Kristina (Joe) Miller and Cindy (Trent) Hayward; and grandchildren, Darby (Andy), Megan, Macy, Daley, and Riley; Janice and Thomas Tannehill; their children, Tavis (Nancy) Tannehill and Jala Sue Tannehill; and grandchildren, Harrison, Nevaeh, Abraham and Francesca; Jay and Jody White; their children, Nicholas White, Kimberly (Michah) Hensley, Kari (Jim) King; and grandchildren, Hudson, Lily, Joeliegh, Lincoln, Jaylinn, Lola and Levi; Joy White and Bob Lazar; son, Christopher (Wiebke) Hopwood; and grandchildren, Sullivan and Henry.

Lola was a unique woman who loved her family, loved to laugh, and always had a smile on her face. She was never one to bring others down, always ready with a kind word or offer of help. With her great sense of humor, quick wit, contagious laugh and unbridled zest for life, Lola was the life of the party. Her children nicknamed her "Byrd" because she was always flying around taking care of them. Taller than most at 5'9", she was nicknamed "Giraffe" while in high school, and thus began her lifelong collection of giraffes in many forms. And, much to the delight of her grand and great-grandchildren, she always allowed them to play with her giraffes.

On a bowling league, when she lived in Kalamazoo, Lola maintained a high 180 game average. Volleyball was another sport Lola was interested in, and she was a devoted Detroit Tigers Fan. Europe, Great Britain, Bahamas, Panama, Puerto Rico, Canada, Hawaii, Alaska and most of the continental United States, by ship, sailboat, car and trailer, bus or plane, she loved to travel. The lure of new experiences, people, places, and food, especially large quantities of shrimp, kept her on the move. Lola and Ben wintered in South Padre Island, Texas, and Florida before settling on their long-term winter destination of Lake Havasu, Arizona, where they had numerous friends and became valuable members of the community.

A member of Blaine Christian Church, while living in Arcadia, MI until she moved to Frankfort, where she joined Trinity Lutheran Church. At Trinity, she could be found in the back pew with her friends, on Sunday and Wednesdays, playing a favorite card game of Golf.

Services were held Saturday, February 8 at Trinity Lutheran Church, in Frankfort. Lola's family wishes to thank the Frankfort Pines Staff and Intellicare Hospice for their loving care of their mother. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Intellicare Hospice or The Worlds Giraffe Foundation (www.worldgiraffefoundation.org) Arrangements provided by Jowett Family Funeral Home.