Richard Henry White

Newport, - Richard Henry White CDR, USN, Ret, 84, of 131 Ruggles Avenue Newport, died Wednesday, January 15, 2003 at home.He was the husband of Pauline Haskell Byrnes White. Born in Revere, MA on April 6, 1918, he was the son of Charles and Vera Sweezey White.Mr. White was a Commander with the United States Navy for 26 years, retiring in 1966. After his military retirement he was a consulting engineer with Anderson Nichols of Boston, MA, until the late 1970?s.Commander White was a 1936 graduate of Revere High School, an 1937 graduate of Kents Hill Preparatory School and a 1940 graduate of Colby College where he was the football quarterback and was a member of the DKE fraternity. Following college he was offered three professional football contracts with the New York Giants, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles.He entered the Navy and commisioned as an Ensign in 1941, aboard the USS Sampson. He served aboard the USS Fraser, USS JP Kennedy, and Captained the USS Samuel B. Roberts. He later operated the Officers Club in Boston in the early 1950?s, was the executive officer of the USS Yosemite and was the Combat Information Center CIC officer in Guantamano Bay Cuba during the missle crisis during 1962. His final duty station was the Fleet Training Center in Newport where he served as executive officer until his retirement in 1966.Commander White was an avid fisherman and race track enthusiast, and enjoyed all things competitive.Besides his wife of 58 years he is survived by two daughters Pamela G. Hightower and Judith S. Brennan both of Middletown, RI, and two grandsons Alexander Hightower of Jacksonville Beach, FL and Raleigh Brennan of Middletown, RI.He was the brother of the late Donald A. White. His funeral will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 2003, at 10:00am, at St. Columba?s The Berkeley Memorial Chapel, 55 Vaucluse Avenue, Middletown. Burial and military honors will follow at Newport Memorial Park in Middletown. Donations in his memory may be made to the Visiting Nurse Services Hospice of Newport Bristol Cos, 1184 East Main Road, Portsmouth, RI 02871 or to the American Cancer Society, Centralized Memorial Processing Center, 30 Speen Street, Framingham, MA 01701.