Clarence Douglas White

Clarence Douglas White, 91, of Keswick, passed away after a heart attack on January 8 at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville. Clarence proudly served his country for 20 years in the United States Navy, retiring in 1970 as a Chief Petty Officer. His tours of duty included service aboard various warships—destroyers, aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers and tenders—including the battleship New Jersey, the USS Bennington, the USS Sierra and the USS Henley. His last deployment was with the USS Butte, an ammunition ship.Clarence then continued a busy life with jobs he enjoyed, with the federal government, the Institute of Textile Technology, and the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, from which, 17 years later, he retired as a sergeant. Clarence was the ultimate “people person.” He welcomed conversations, was interested in the lives of people he met, and greeted with true pleasure friends and strangers alike. He and his beloved wife of 62 years, Elizabeth “Betty” White (Goodman) enjoyed together the daily pleasures of life in the country, travels across America, and get-togethers with friends and family, so many of whom, sadly, have predeceased him, including his much-loved brother, Dennis White of Crozet. Clarence was born in 1933 in Nelson County, son of the late Ira and Elva Carter White. His mother died when he was three, and several years later, he was blessed with a loving stepmother, the late Virginia “Jim” White.In addition to his dear wife, Clarence leaves to cherish his memory his friends and in-laws Barbara and Randy Fitzgerald of Richmond; sister-in-law Betty Ann White of Crozet; a sisterDoris Drumheller of Chester; and six nieces and nephews: Cindy, Donna, Kyle, Sarah, Steve and Tim. Clarence will be interred at a graveside service at Monticello Memory Gardens at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, January 15. He was blessed with a good, long, interesting life, which he appreciated to the fullest. He was a good, kind, honorable man who was well loved and will be sorely missed.