Jae Ann White

She left us on April 17, 2024. Jae grew up in Rennerdale, Pennsylvania, graduating from Chartiers Valley High School in 1975 and Slippery Rock University in 1983.

Jae joined the Colonial Williamsburg Group Sales team in 1983 and went on to become an historical interpreter, rocking the hoop skirts, petticoats, stockings and caps. Her professional journey led her to become an integral part of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historical Area’s Program Support team. Her expertise and passion brought history to life for donors and visitors alike. She loved sharing this expertise and passion with her friends and family as well as the friends of her friends and family and she made everyone's visit to Williamsburg a magical experience. She loved to be the host.

Jae adored introducing people of all ages to her passions. Over the course of her life, she led Girl Scout Troops, Explorers, and 4H groups. She participated in Nascar Chat rooms, loved the Pettys and the Allison brothers, and her friendship net was spread far and wide. If she knew you, she wanted to do something for you. She was an amazing friend and an incredible sister but she found her ultimate role as the adored aunt of Sierra, Elizabeth, Abigail, and Rachel. They were her world and her joy and she shared with them her love of chocolate, baking, and her inability to take life too seriously.

In 1999, Jae was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. This condition soon took away many of the freedoms Jae relished, including her mobility and her ability to spend long periods of time outdoors. Jae's willingness to “embrace the suck” was inspiring. While she sometimes became frustrated at her limitations, she rarely complained and chose to search for the “good stuff” and live by her favorite motto, “Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass…it's learning to dance in the rain.”

Jae will be remembered as the ultimate storyteller, generous of her time and talents, with a smile that let you know she was in on the joke. May her enthusiasm for life, friends, and family be an inspiration to us all. Huggers.

Jae was preceded and escorted in death by her beloved father, O. Wade White. She is survived by her mother, Wilma White; siblings, Scott and LeeAnn White, Dee White, Lea(White) and Tom Chidlow. She is also forever cherished and remembered by her nieces and nephew, Sierra (White) and Nick Zaborowski, Elizabeth Chidlow, Abigail Chidlow, and Rachel Chidlow.

A Celebration of a Life Well Lived will take place in Rennerdale, Pennsylvania, on a date yet to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to an organization that gives you joy or choose one that Jae cared about; Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Victory Junction, or the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.