James Edgar White

James Edgar White passed away peacefully on January 1, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. He was surrounded by family at Ryan House, Hospice of the Valley. Many friends and family visited during his final months at home. James was born August 19, 1940 in Iowa City, Iowa to Dorothy Anna Curtis and Walter Howard White.

He was raised in the small town of Lost Nation, Iowa and moved to Riverton, Wyoming where his father homesteaded after WWII. The family moved to Roll, Arizona in 1954. The Wellton-Mohawk Valley was always "home" to James. James first spotted Shirley when he worked at Arnold's Market in Wellton and could not wait to make her his high school sweetheart. They married in June 1961 and enjoyed 60 years of marriage, travel and adventures together.

James' great passions in life were cars, golf and telling stories. His rural paper route in high school fueled his love of driving - backroads, highways, race track or autobahn. One of his favorite sayings was, "I never drove a car faster than it would go". He worked for 14 years as an Irrigation dispatcher at Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District. He moved to Phoenix in 1974 to continue his education and began working at Salt River Project in 1976 as a Water Dispatcher. He moved into Warehouse Operations and found his calling as an Investment Recovery Specialist, selling everything from desks to planes and bulldozers. He was a natural salesman and could talk to anyone. James was an avid golfer and always had clubs in the trunk, "just in case". He played in the SRP Golf Association and Palo Verde Men's Golf Club. He loved to refurbish clubs and gave away countless sets to anyone thinking of beginning the game. He hit a total of NINE holes-in-one and could spin any story into a golf story. James attended Arizona Western College in Yuma, Glendale Community College, Arizona State University, finally earning his B.A. in Business Administration from Western International University at the age of 61. It was a promise kept to his daughter and underscored his lifelong curiosity and love of learning.

James was preceded in death by his parents; his son, Roger Neil White; his sister, Elizabeth Betty Jo Haack; his brother, John Billy White.

James is survived by his wife Shirley Farar White, of Tolleson, AZ; his daughter, Sharon (Eduard) Korat of Campbell, CA; his daughter-in-law, Christine White of Tacna, AZ; his five grandchildren, Justin (Sommer) White, Tyler (Nikki) White, Cassidie White, Torben Korat and Sonia Korat. He had seven great grandchildren, Hayden, Ryder and Kayli White, Jemma and Mackenzie Wahe, Cayden Rouse, and Xander McCullough. James was the second of eight children. He is survived by his siblings: Richard (Sandy) of St. Louis, MO; Diana (John) Gray of Tucson, AZ; Jacqueline (John) Dirck, Colleen (Roger) Libbert and Thomas White, all of Sedalia, MO; as well as many nieces and nephews.

James was loved by many and will be greatly missed.