Obituary of Dorothy Colleen White

WHITE: Dorothy Colleen Watt was born at home at Carberry, Manitoba on May 3, 1930; three generations beyond her great-grandparents who immigrated to the Carberry Plains area from Scotland. Soon after her birth Dorothy's parents, Robert "Bob" and Ethel (née Pizzey), moved their family to Binscarth, Manitoba. In the spring of 1933, the family moved to the Crescent Ridge District, near Binscarth, to the farm known as "The Heath". Dorothy was the eldest of four children; sister to Doreen, Sherman and Calvin. She spoke often of the challenges of growing up during The Depression of the 1930’s and during the Second World War. In spite of the hardships and scarcities of the times, she was grateful to have spent her childhood on the farm, where her parents were able to provide the family with plenty to eat and a warm house to sleep in. Dorothy's resilience and resourcefulness were greatly influenced by her parents' values of working hard, appreciating what you have and cherishing a loving family and good friends. She so enjoyed growing up with the house party tradition where family, friends and neighbours gathered to play music, dance and sing and share good food. Her father played the button accordion and she was often called upon to accompany him on the piano.

Dorothy attended Crescent Ridge, a one room rural schoolhouse, for grades one to nine travelling to school by pony and cart and horse and cutter. She attended Binscarth High School for grades 10 and 11 and transferred to Foxwarren to complete grade 12. Only ever wanting to become a teacher, she moved to Winnipeg to attend Tuxedo Normal School, graduating in 1949. Following graduation she returned home to teach at Woodstock, a rural school between Binscarth and Russell, Manitoba, where she was the sole teacher for grades one to nine for two years. She then moved to Kellwood, Manitoba to join her aunt and best friend, Melba Pizzey. The two young women boarded together and taught at the local elementary school for the 1951-52 school year. Dorothy loved to plan, organize and conduct the annual Christmas concerts, field days and end of school year picnics.

Dorothy married her high school sweetheart, Leslie White, at St. Peter's Anglican Church at Balmerino, Manitoba on July 19, 1952. Her mother's family had a strong connection to St. Peter's, as they were furniture makers and carvers from England and had handcrafted all the church's furnishings. Dorothy and Leslie and Melba and Lorne Carter were married in a double ceremony, the last wedding to be held at the church. Leslie was working for the Canadian Pacific Railway as a Telegrapher/Operator at Upsala, Ontario at the time of their marriage and so Dorothy moved with Leslie to Upsala. As luck would have it, the community was in need of a teacher and so the young newly married couple moved in to the teacherage attached to the school and Dorothy once again took on the challenge of being the sole teacher for nine grades. Looking back she recalled the two years in Upsala as being the happiest, healthiest years of her life. She and Leslie made many lifelong friends and often went back to visit.

In 1954, Leslie was transferred with the railroad to Wapella, Saskatchewan. The couple welcomed their first child, Linda, soon after moving to Wapella and three years later their son Barry was born. Dorothy took time out from teaching to raise her family. In 1958, Leslie accepted a position with the Brandon Police Department and once again they were on the move. They settled in to a small suite on 1^st Street. Soon thereafter they bought a home on the 400 block of Dennis Street, where they lived until moving to their acreage, Bloom'n Acres, in 1975. Dorothy and Leslie considered themselves East Enders at heart. Dorothy taught Sunday school at St. Mary's Anglican Church and volunteered at the East End Community Centre.

Dorothy returned to teaching in 1965, first at Central and then at Riverview. In 1967, she was transferred to King George where she ended her teaching career twenty-six years later. Dorothy's greatest passion was to help her students learn and grow. She was always willing to go the extra mile to assist and her kindness and caring was always appreciated. Dorothy retired in 1993 after 33 years of teaching. Even in retirement she could not give it up completely and continued tutoring from home for about five years.

Dorothy and Leslie loved country living. There were a variety of animals on the acreage over the years but it was horses that they both enjoyed the most. Dorothy's favourite was a Hackney pony named Patrol Sargent. They purchased him as a yearling and did all of his early training. He went on to win many ribbons and championships. Leslie always wanted to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and be a coachman so they purchased a vis-à-vis and a team of black Canadian horses to pull it. They did many weddings and parades with their coach and horses and were part of the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair opening ceremonies for many years, transporting dignitaries including Governor Generals, Lieutenant Governors and Premiers. The highlight of their coaching was when they provided the coach for Princess Anne's visit to Brandon. Dorothy was always behind the scenes, keeping things organized, preferring to stay out of the spotlight.

Dorothy and Leslie loved to travel, starting out with a tent when their kids were young and ending with a motor home. Over the years they travelled from coast to coast, made a trip to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and took an Alaskan cruise. They made many trips to Branson and Nashville with Leslie's sister Phyllis, brother Gordon and sister-in-law Gail. They also made many trips west with Dorothy's sister Doreen and her husband Murray.

Family was always most important to Dorothy. She was a proud supportive wife and mother. She was an adoring grandmother who attended many of her grandchildren’s activities and a doting great-grandmother who found great delight in the little ones. Dorothy was also a special aunt to many nieces and nephews. Dorothy and Leslie loved to entertain and many family gatherings were held at their home. Dorothy and Leslie loved to dance; mostly Dorothy loved to dance with Leslie.

Dorothy's journey was not without sadness. Her parents died in their 60’s and her younger siblings all predeceased her. But the most difficult time for her was the loss of her grandson, Andrew. She was absolutely heartbroken when he died. There is comfort in knowing they are now reunited.

Dorothy passed away at her home, Fairview Personal Care Home, on Saturday, October 17, 2020 at the age of 90 years. Left to cherish her memory are her husband Leslie of sixty-eight years; daughter Linda and son-in-law Daryl Mooney; son Barry and daughter-in-law Evelyn Soto; granddaughter Leslee and her husband Brendan Brown and great-grandchildren Avery and Colter Brown. The Memorial Service was held at Brockie Donovan Chapel on Thursday, October 22, 2020. Interment was held at the Brandon Cemetery Columbarium. Donations in Dorothy's memory may be made to the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, 4B-457-9th Street, Brandon, MB R7A 4A9.

The family invites you to watch the Memorial Service for Dorothy White. Please CLICK HERE