Billy Norman White

Bill White, a career fire chief whose leadership helped expand emergency medical services in Arizona and beyond, and who was deeply devoted to his family, his friends and colleagues in the firefighting service, and his community, died Dec. 3, 2025, at his home in Casa Grande, Arizona. He was 92.

Born on April 8, 1933, in Santa Rosa, NM, Mr. White moved with his family to the Casa Grande area as an infant and lived there for nearly his entire life. He graduated from Casa Grande Union High School in 1952, beginning a lifelong bond with the community he would later serve.

From 1953 to 1955, Mr. White served in the United States Army. He was stationed in Germany, where he met and married Jane (Erna) Dehnert. The couple shared 51 years of marriage before her death in 2006.

After returning to Casa Grande in 1955, Mr. White joined the Casa Grande Volunteer Fire Department. In 1958, he became the city’s first full-time firefighter, embarking on a career that would span nearly five decades. In 1974, he was appointed chief of the Casa Grande Fire Department, a post he held for six years. During that time, he played a pivotal role in expanding the department’s mission to include emergency medical response and service - an area of work that became his lifelong passion.

In 1981, Mr. White was named fire chief of the La Grande Fire Department in La Grande, OR, where he served for four years before returning to Casa Grande in 1985. That year, he assumed leadership of the Ak-Chin Indian Community Fire Department, where he served as fire chief until his retirement in 2007.

Throughout his career, Mr. White was an active leader in numerous fire service and emergency medical organizations, holding leadership positions at the local, state and national levels. His contributions were widely recognized. In 2005, he received the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2006, he was inducted into the National Native American Emergency Medical Service Hall of Fame, and in 2007, shortly before retiring, he was inducted into the Arizona Fire Service Hall of Fame.

Beyond his professional achievements, Mr. White was known for his generosity of spirit, his deep sense of duty, and his unwavering commitment to the people and community he served. He also took great pride in restoring and exhibiting his collection of Model A automobiles and found lasting enjoyment in cooking and socializing with family and friends.

He is survived by two sons, John White of Tempe, AZ, and Jerry White of Glendale, AZ; four grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.