He was born December 6, 1944 in Dante, Virginia to Albert and Albie (Williams) White. Wayne had four brothers: Louis, Fred, Grover and Larry White and two sisters: Mabel White and Brenda (White) Noaker of Liberty Center.
He is survived by his wife Bernadette (Ropinski) White, three daughters: Tim and Judy (Kretz) Smith, Charlotte (Kretz) Cuevas and James and Karen (Kretz) Patton. Wayne has 7 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and one great-great granddaughter of 2 month old Justyne.
Wayne graduated top of his class in 1964 at Liberty Center High School. He started his working career planting, picking tomatoes and roofing. In 1967 he started working at Campbell Soup Company.
He received his waste water operator license at Ohio State University. He retired in 2006 after working many years in the waste water treatment at Campbell Soup Company. Wayne had many hobbies but his favorite was gardening, horticulture, reading and traveling. Wayne had such an impressive garden he joined the Garden Club and gave tours of his garden. Wayne also built his own home. He was also the third Knight of Columbus. Wayne loved music and watched the Tour De France every year.
Wayne has an impressive Coca Cola collection he loved Coca Cola. Wayne loved and enjoyed all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and enjoyed speaking and visiting with Gwin Herman from Florida, Ohio. He enjoyed a lot of library time. Wayne donated a lot of his time visiting nursing homes. He also donated five gallons of blood to the Red Cross.
April 11, 1977 Wayne married the love of his life Bernadette. They met on the job at Campbell Soup. Bernadette and Wayne traveled all over the United States and Europe. They visited Bernadette’s home town of Jeandelaincourt, France. He had many new family members in a new country. Jean and Marie (Louis) Ropinski were his father and mother-in-law, Yaneck and Francoise Ropinski, Daniel and Christine Ropinski, Jeanie Bucher, Patrick and Marie-Therese Tonnette are his brothers and sisters. He had many nieces, nephews and cousins in France and Poland. Everyone loved him.Wayne will be greatly missed by family and friends. Visitation will be held from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, June 29, 2015 at Walker Mortuary, Napoleon, Ohio. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at 10 a.m. at St. Augustine Catholic Church, Napoleon, Ohio. Father Doug Garand officiating. Memorials may be made to the Defiance Inpatient Hospice Center.
Mon Cheri Wayne
Jamais je me t’oublierais mon monhome, mon Romeo.
Love always,
Badette (NADKA)
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