Lt Col Dick White

Lt Col Dick White, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired), 70, passed away on September 9, 2021 surrounded by his family. He was born on July 13, 1951 in Fort Smith, AR to Raymond and Mary White. He graduated from Southside High School in 1969, followed by the University of Arkansas in 1973 with his BS in Accounting. Dick joined the United States Marine Corps in June of 1973 and was commissioned as an officer that same year. Following his commissioning, he earned his wings as a fighter pilot which became his full-time career taking him around the world numerous times. His last assignment was as the Commanding Officer of Marine Attack Squad 311, which was the first jet squadron to deploy to Saudi Arabia for Desert Shield/Desert Storm. On January 17th, 1991 he led his squadron as the first Marines to fly an AV8B Harrier aircraft into combat. He was a fixture on CNN and for other news sources during the war and was notorious for his hilarious and wholly inappropriate comments. His squadron received the Marine Attack Squadron of the Year Award for 1992 by the Marine Corps Aviation Association. He retired from the Marines in 1993, with his last duty station being Yuma, AZ. Following retirement from the military, he along with his family returned to his beloved Arkansas. For the next 22 years, Dick served as a Captain who flew internationally for Federal Express, where he continued his passion for flying and to see more of the world. Dick retired as a pilot in July of 2016 and spent his retirement taking care of the farm he had built and adored.

Dick married the love of his life, Billie (Susie) Robertson in December 1973, where she became his support system accompanying Dick all over the US, from one base to another. They have two children, Sarah Krauft (Jon) and Michael White (Leslie), and five grandchildren, Jackson, Blake, Ellie, Hudson and William. Dick and Susie loved to travel together and often visited dear friends they consider family from the many years in the Marines. Susie was Dad’s rock, always by his side and he adored her.

Dick was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Mary White, as well as his brother Jack. He is survived by his wife Susie, daughter Sarah, and son Michael, and their families, and his sisters Jeanie Counts and Phyllis Wells, brother Harlan, and their families.

Dick was a strong-willed man and not one to let things get him down. He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma 20 years ago and was told he had possibly 5 years to live. He defied that sentence and continued to work hard and enjoy life despite being in almost constant pain. It was never a surprise to hear about him falling off a ladder while fixing a roof, or having an ugly run in with his chainsaw, you literally could not keep him down. He continued to feed the cows, fix the fences, brush hog the fields and tend to his garden. Dick was a lesson in quiet strength. He could stop you in your tracks with a look from his eyes, and he could have you belly laughing with his humor. He loved Elvis, he loved books, he loved flying, he loved fishing, and he loved hunting. But, above all he loved his family.

Dick was a member of First Baptist Church in Fort Smith. He loved the Lord and we know he is with Jesus, that his body is healed and he is at peace. Hopefully they listen to Elvis and Roy Orbison in Heaven.