Obituary of Patricia White

Patricia Herlihy White of South Salem and formerly of Bedford, NY died peacefully on November 20^th, joining her beloved husband, Richard White.

Pat was 89 and leaves behind two daughters, Lisa White and Pamela White Shea (David), a son, Douglas White (Amy Wilbur), four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Pat and her younger sister Clair, who died earlier this year, were born in Yonkers, NY. She loved growing up in Yonkers with lots of extended family living nearby. Some of her favorite memories were riding the trolley cars, shopping for candies and visiting with a family friend who had a monkey, a duck and birds.

When Pat was in high school her family moved to Wolfeboro, NH on Lake Winnipesaukee, where she graduated high school from Brewster Academy. After graduation she moved back to Yonkers and worked for Vick Chemical in NYC.  When her mother became ill and needed help running the bed and breakfast her parents had started, Pat returned to New Hampshire. She had every intention of returning to Yonkers; however, one thing after another delayed her departure as her fate was to meet and marry her “Dickie”, Dick White, who was working nearby at the Bald Peak Colony Club. It was love at first sight and Pat and Dick were married six months later.

Dick had a career as an estate gardener and they lived in Skaneateles, NY, Alpine, NJ and eventually Bedford, NY. While working for the Rockefeller family in Bedford, Pat was the receptionist for Bedford dentists Dr. Koch and Dr. Rubinstein. Pat was very social and enjoyed getting to know all the patients during the many years she worked there.

When she wasn’t working for the dentists, she was creating a magical life for her grandchildren, just as she had for her children. She would make tea parties, build fairy houses, bake and ice cookies, teach them art and crafts and share her love of nature, but most of all she loved pumping her player piano and singing songs.

Music was an integral part of Pat’s life, particularly Irish music! She and Dick would drive to Irish music festivals any weekend they could.

Her happy places were Cape Cod and Hawaii. Every summer she and Dick would spend two weeks enjoying the bike trails, music and seafood of the Cape, inspiring the same love of the Cape in their children and grandchildren.

Pat’s joy for life was contagious and difficult to sum up in words. She was an avid reader on a variety of topics.  Pat loved the beauty of nature, especially the rain and daffodils, poetry, dollhouse miniatures, old movies, reading the New York Times, and making trips to New York City. She fostered a loving family through family parties and holiday celebrations. She will be sorely missed but her spirit lives on in us.

As she wanted, her burial will be private with a celebration of life at a later date.