Jean White

Jean Emmons Pullen White of Talty, Texas, passed away on Saturday, February 19, 2022. While she had struggled with health issues, her death was shocking to her family and has left them devastated by her loss. She is loved deeply and will be missed in a profound way that cannot be expressed with words.

Jean was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on April 18, 1945 while her father was stationed there during WWII. She always considered herself a native Texan as she was raised in Oak Cliff and spent her entire life in the Dallas metroplex. She moved to DeSoto in 1972 where she raised her family and spent the next 30 years of her life.

She is survived by her loving husband, Tom White of Talty, her daughter, Jeana Pullen of McKinney, her grandsons, Jayson and Brandon Pullen of Seattle, and her granddaughter, Emmerson Pullen of McKinney. She is also survived by her bonus daughters Terri Dewberry and husband Robbie of Lubbock, Tammi Holmes and husband Doug of Lubbock, Traci White and partner Debbie Cox of Amarillo and Lori Johnson and husband Tony of San Saba. She is survived by 13 bonus grandchildren and 18 bonus great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 32 years, Gerald “Jerry” Pullen in 1994, her mother, Sadie Albin Sharpe in 2001, her father, Benjamin L. Emmons in 2009, her maternal Grandmother, Bertha “Meme” Odell Albin in 1995, her Grandfather, Ollie Bird Albin in 1961, her paternal grandmother, Hazel Weaver Emmons in 1986, and her paternal grandfather, Leonard Emmons in 1980.

She was an only child and was adored by her mother with whom she had a beautiful and loving relationship. She also had a close relationship with her maternal grandmother, Meme, who was there for her, loving her, until she passed away in 1995. She cared for her father until his death and was known for always being there for her loved ones. Jean was present for the death of her mother, father, and both of her grandmothers. She endured a great deal of loss, but was a constant source of nurturing and compassion when her loved ones departed. She was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter and nana.

Jean married Jerry Pullen on April 18, 1962. They had a beautiful and loving marriage for the next 32 years until he unexpectedly passed away on August 19, 1994. This was a very dark time in her life as she found herself a widow at the age of 49. Her mother had been widowed the same year and they chose to spend a great deal of time together over the next few years along with her maternal grandmother, Meme.

In 1999, her world changed. She met her husband, Tom White and they were married on June 11, 2005 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas after spending several happy, adventurous and exciting years together. Tom brought her absolute joy for 22 years, 2 months and 8 days. They never went to bed angry, always kissed goodnight and never had a single fight throughout their entire relationship. Because of Tom, she found happiness again and was able to spend the rest of her life loved immensely through his companionship, support, adoration and devotion.

Like her own grandmother, Meme, “Nana” was there for her daughter, Jeana, to help raise her granddaughter, Emme. Without fail, she spent every weekend with Jeana and Emme allowing Jeana to work while she took Emme on outings and adored watching her grow up! These weekends continued throughout most of her childhood until Nana started having health issues in 2018. Until the last time she saw Emme on December 24, 2021, she talked about getting better and taking her out to breakfast at McDonald’s like they used to do every weekend when Emme was a little girl. The only exceptions to this tradition were when she and Tom were traveling the country! Oh, did he take her on some adventures! They went to Branson, Las Vegas, the Rio Grande Valley, and so many other places that she had never seen before! She also traveled with her daughter and Emme to Las Vegas twice and to New York City where she saw seven Broadway shows in 2016! Of course, her favorite performance was watching Emme on stage. She was definitely her biggest fan right alongside Emme’s mom. Nana saw Emme perform in 41 musicals! She attended every single production until her health prevented it and even then she watched several shows online. She was definitely devoted and oh so proud.

The legacy of Jean Emmons Pullen White is love. The love she had until her last breath was evident in her actions, her words and her devotion. Her last words were said in a whisper to Tom and they were, “I love you.” Of course they were. She was and is the definition of love.