Mary Louise White

Early in the morning of September 28, 2022, Mary Louise White (Cox) passed away peacefully while surrounded by family and friends near her home at La Mesa, CA. Mary was the middle daughter of seven siblings of her mother, Opal Louise Cox (Bair) and father, Weldon D. Cox. Born at the Lutheran Hospital of Ft. Wayne, IN, on December 18, 1944, she graduated from Central High School of Ft. Wayne in 1963. Mary was an extremely devoted friend, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Mary was preceded in passing by her mother, father, older brother J.R. and his wife Doris, older brother Ralph, older sister Marilyn, and ex-husband Gary Cook. Mary leaves behind her husband Kenneth White (La Mesa, CA), four children, son Tate and Lesley Cook (Angola, IN), son Jason and Kathy Cook (Moon Township, PA), daughter Laura Andrea and Bradley VanderBurgh (La Mesa, CA) and stepson David White and Dona Meyer (Chillicothe, OH), grandchildren Parker VanderBurgh, McKenzie White, Zachary White, Ashley Cook, Nathan Cook, Amanda Cook and Amber Cook and great-grandchildren Carter, Cooper, Ellie, Gracis, and Mason.

After a 40-year career as office manager/purchasing/accounting for multiple companies, Mary retired from Steel Built Buildings in PA and went on to volunteer with the American Red Cross helping people in need across the country and around the world. She served on nine disaster relief operations in PA, floods in IL and LA, Hurricane Matthew, Tropical Storm/Hurricane Dorian in FL, Tropical Storm/Monsoon Gita in American Somoa and 6 wildfire disasters in CA. For her exceptional work she was named Volunteer of the Year in 2014 by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Red Cross. A member of the St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Moon Township, PA, she was especially fond of Pastor Hower, who officiated the wedding of her son Jason and his wife Kathy in 1993 and her daughter Laura and her husband Bradley VanderBurgh in 1998.

Mary will be remembered for the kindness, generosity and gregarious hospitality of the homes she made at Spur Creek Court, Bendix Drive and of late with her daughter at her adopted home at Lovell Lane. Her love of Cox/Miller double deck bid euchre was perhaps exceeded only by her love of family and friends as she traveled with her husband Ken to McKees Rocks, Marco Island and many other destinations of beloved friends and family.

Memorial Services are scheduled for Saturday November 19th at 10:00am at St. Michael Lutheran Church, 2131 Getz Road, Ft. Wayne. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that friends and family consider providing a donation in Mary’s name to the American Red Cross. https://www.redcross.org/

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.elcajonmortuary.com for the White family.