Mary Ellen White

Mary Ellen Newsom White, 97, passed away peacefully at her home in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on July 26, 2025. Over the course of nearly a century, Mary Ellen leaves behind a remarkable legacy marked by her 58 years of teaching, her dedication to her faith, and her steadfast role as matriarch of our family.

Born October 7, 1927, in Smackover, Arkansas to Marvin Guy Newsom, Sr. & Nellie Holland Newsom, Mary Ellen grew up with two older brothers, Gerald Harding Newsom & Marvin Guy Newsom, and a little sister, Alice Mae Newsom Fain. Growing up in the Depression warranted a frugal upbringing but Mary Ellen led a grateful life surrounded by friends and family, and by age 8, she knew wanted to be a teacher. After graduating high school in 1945, Mary Ellen worked as a secretary at the Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot in Camden, Arkansas at the end of WWII. She then enrolled at Ouachita Baptist University and while simultaneously finishing her college degree she also began teaching in 1947.

While at OBU, Mary Ellen met many lifelong friends and her husband, William Harvey ‘W.H.’ White, Jr. whom she wed on June 7, 1949. Together in Smackover, Arkansas, they raised 3 loving daughters: Kathie Ann White, Karen Jeanne White Lewis, & Kristi Alice White Anderson. They were active members of Maple Avenue Baptist Church where W.H. was a deacon and both Mary Ellen & W.H. were Sunday school teachers and choir members.

In 1965, the family moved to Delhi, Louisiana where Mary Ellen continued her lifelong career as both a teacher and student earning her Masters in Education in 1968. The family joined First Baptist Church in Delhi where Mary Ellen taught Sunday School, directed VBS, and completed many adult and youth mission trips, both locally and internationally, which bore her love of travel, deepened her appreciation of history, and brought color to her academic and Bible teachings. Throughout her life, Mary Ellen traveled to 48 US states, 17 countries, and 4 continents!

Over the course of six decades, Mary Ellen taught generations of students across Arkansas and Louisiana - from elementary to junior high and across nearly every subject matter. Her warmth, wit, and knack for public speaking shaped the hearts and minds of students - not only in the classroom but in correspondence with students for decades to come. She often wrote hundreds of postcards to her students while on her trips. Mary Ellen was known to recite poetry, scripture, and recount lively stories to any and all eager ears!

In 2006, after living in Delhi for over 50 years, Mary Ellen moved to Hot Springs to be closer to her family. There, she found a new church home, Hot Springs Baptist Church, and was a member of the Hot Springs Music Club making countless more dear friends where she continued to brighten every room she entered. She also loved reading, traveling, laughing with her grandchildren, and cheering on the Arkansas Razorbacks. Even into her 90s, she remained sharp, curious, and full of surprises. At family and friend gatherings, she often spoke and then gave everyone a written test on what she taught at the table. Her compassionate heart has been a guiding light for all who know her as she embodied a truly Christian life.

Mary Ellen was preceded in death by her husband, W.H. White, Jr.; an infant daughter, Judith Ellen White; her parents, Marvin Guy Newsom, Sr. and Nellie Holland Newsom; her siblings: Gerald Harding Newsom (Argie Smith Newsom), Marvin Guy Newsom (Betty Manley Newsom), and Alice Mae Newsom Fain (Marshal Fain); her sister in-law, Gloria Maye White Plumlee (Carroll Francis Plumlee); and her son-in-laws, Greg Lewis and Sam Anderson, Jr.

She is survived by her three children, Kathie White, Karen Lewis, and Kristi Anderson; five grandchildren, Jon-Michael Lewis, Matthew Lewis (Kara Robinson), David Lewis, Julie Anderson, and Rebecca Schultz (Kasey Schultz); two great-grandchildren, Avery Schultz and Romilly Schultz; and a host of nieces and nephews - all of whom she adored and who adored her in return. Known to her family as MeMe, her legacy of love will live on in her family and the many lives she touched.

The funeral service will be held Thursday, July 31, at 10:00 a.m. at Grand Avenue UMC in Hot Springs, Arkansas followed by the burial at Smackover Cemetery at 3:00 p.m. in Smackover, Arkansas. Memorials may be sent to Ouachita Baptist University, Development Office, Box 3754, Arkadelphia, AR, 71998. The family requests that you wear white, pink or red at the funeral to honor the life of our beloved special rose, Mary Ellen White.

The family is especially grateful to Arkansas Hospice, Cheryl Murphy Nestor, and Mom’s two wonderful caregivers, Innette Williams and Akira Jefferson, for the exceptional care given to Mom. We are also grateful to Rev. David Fleming of Grand Avenue United Methodist Church for his pastoral care and assistance.

MeMe-isms

“Don’t try to be an earthly saint with eyes fixed on a star; Just try to be the feller that your mother thinks you are.”

“Stay cool, calm, & collected. Get seated, settled, and situated”

“The time has come,' the Walrus said, to talk of many things:

Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —Of cabbages — and kings —

And why the sea is boiling hot —And whether pigs have wings.'”

“I love you a bushel and a peck, a bushel and a peck and a hug around your neck”

MeMe

Marvelous · Eloquent · Merry · Enthusiastic

By Julie Anderson & Rusty Lookadoo

Four simple words for wonderful you!

They don’t do justice to a person who

Is loving and caring and kind, as well—

Why, saying it all would take years to tell!

But the telling is found in our actions and thoughts,

In memories made and lessons taught,

In precious time spent with family and friends,

And at parties where themes and costumes blend.

You’ve brought such joy to all of our lives—

With handwritten cards and homemade pies,

Trips on planes, trains, cars, and bus rides,

Lectures with dinner, and a quiz alongside—

And the home video where you take a dive!

Sixty years in education—

Who needs a vacation?!

And it’s clear you enrich every life that you touch:

Americans, Greeks, even the Dutch!

But you’ve especially enriched the lives of us here—

Your family, close all through the year.

We love you dearly, you can see,

As a daughter, sister, mother, and MeMe.