Houston White passes at 106

A Rusk icon has passed.

Houston White, 106, died Friday, May 3, in Rusk.

The many local organizations and individuals White made an impact on during his long life shared an outpouring of comfort and condolences via social media over the weekend.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our club founder, Houston White,” the Rusk Rotary Club posted on its Facebook page. “He will be missed terribly, but we know he’s in a much better place.

“Life brings tears, smiles and memories. The tears dry, the smiles fade, but the memories last forever, and we certainly have many years of memories with Houston.”

In 1948, White was one of 20 men who obtained a charter for a new Rotary Club. The club was officially chartered in 1949. At the age of 104, he was considered the oldest active Rotarian in the world and had maintained perfect attendance at Rusk Rotary Club meetings for more than 65 years. In February 2017, the Rusk Rotary Club officially named the new pavilion at the Rusk baseball field the Houston White Rotary Pavilion.

“He will always be remembered as a good man that had a wonderful impact on our community,” Kim Killion posted on social media. “He will be greatly missed.”

Leslie Woodard Schobernd also posted, Heaven has definitely gained a wonderful man! He was a pall bearer for my grandmother when she passed away in 1997.”

Rhonda Quinn Morrow shared, “(I’ll) never forget the Halloween he and my dad rigged a ghost in a tree to scare the trick or treaters!! Got to visit with him when I visited with my mom at Cherokee Trails – he always had a smile.”

White was born in 1913 in Colorado City. He came to East Texas in the early 1920s. White had been involved in all sorts of community life. He worked with the Rusk Chamber of Commerce and was named 2014’s Citizen of the Year during the 73rd annual Rusk Chamber of Commerce banquet.

“I absolutely loved and adored this man,” Chamber Manager Tara Tatarski said in a Facebook post. “He was a great example of how we should all be!”

White served in the U.S. Naval Air Corps from 1942-46. He rose to the rank of chief petty officer while serving. With a background in transportation, he coordinated bus and rail assignments for recruits from the Dallas recruiting station. In 1945, he was assigned to Jacksonville, Fla., where he arranged for sailors’ transportation back home. In 1947, White became manager at the Rusk Hotel where he was employed until 1962. He also was the agent for the bus terminal located at the hotel.

Visitation will be held 5:30-7:30 on Friday, May 10, at Wallace Thompson Funeral Home in Rusk. Services will be at Rusk First Baptist Church on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 2pm with Reverends Brian Givens, James Goforth, and Lee Welch participating. Interment will follow at Providence Cemetery two miles north of Dialville, Texas.