Emma Margie White's Obituary
Our beautiful mother and grandmother, Emma Margie White, left us as she passed peacefully December 12, 2014. She had just reached age 95 a few days earlier on December 9th.
Emma was born, Emma Margie Stock, on December 9, 1919, in Vaughn, WA, to immigrant parents, Charlotte and Gottlieb Stock, of East Prussia (East Germany), and was the eighth of ten children. Emma always lived her life with strength, determination, poise and grace right up to the end. Her childhood consisted of hard work at the family home in Rock Bay, WA; many lessons were learned and experiences were had from her life in a large family and of her father’s involvement with farming and wine-making as means of support. The family even suffered the loss of their home when a fire raged through and destroyed it forcing them to clear a chicken coup to use as a temporary residence at one point in her youth.
Emma graduated from Peninsula High School and went on to marry her husband, Lee Allen White, an Army serviceman, at age 21, in September, 1941. As a young couple and because of the military, Lee and Emma moved and lived in different places in the U.S. They were in Boston, Massachusetts, when Emma had a job working as a “Rosie the Riveter” to help during wartime; her duties involved wrapping wire for periscopes for the military. She did this job for several months while Lee was away at sea working at transporting goods for the military. Emma worked until just before the birth of their first child, Deanna, born December, 1945. The family was in Panama when their second child, Hoyt, was born in August, 1949.
The family proceeded to continue living in different places due to Lee’s military duties which also took them overseas to France and Japan as well as Panama. Emma and Lee and the children experienced and learned much from the different cultures of these foreign lands while residing a couple years until they moved further South to the Tacoma area of Fircrest, WA, where the children continued to be raised into adulthood.
Emma worked at her career as a Tacoma public school lunchroom cook all of her adult working years until she retired from her position with the Tacoma Public School District. Emma was proceeded in death by her husband, Lee White, April 10, 1976, and she spent many years on her own as a widow. Emma remarried her second husband, Adrian Beaulieu, where they enjoyed some wonderful retirement years together until Adrian also became ill and proceeded her in death.
Emma is survived by Deanna DeBold- Daughter; Hoyt White (Kathy)- son; Martha Jolly- sister; Russell Stock- brother; Lana Venera (Glenn)- Granddaughter; Renee Walden (David)- Granddaughter; Devin LeTourneau (Ann)- Grandson; Chase White (Janene)- Grandson; Danielle Siemers (Gary)- Granddaughter; 11 great grandchildren; many nieces and nephews.
Emma enjoyed life to the fullest and was always hardworking at whatever she did. She loved to be busy, especially if it involved her favorite things like gardening, cleaning, ironing, dancing, singing, shopping, walking, snowmobiling, and camping (in her younger years), stitching, crocheting, and caring for her kids, grandkids, and kitties. She was fun and funny and liked to tell stories. She was a treasure and inspiration of life and will be missed by many, especially her family.
A celebration of Emma’s life will be held Saturday, April 11, 2015, at 2:00pm at Tacoma Fire Fighter’s Union Hall, 1109 S 50th St, Tacoma, WA.
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