Clifford Lamar White

C. Lamar White, 85, CPA, passed away in Birmingham, Alabama due to underlying conditions complicated by injuries sustained by a fall. He was sustained by his lifelong Christian faith, and was surrounded by his family continuously prior to his awaited meeting with Jesus in Paradise.

Lamar was born in Abbeville, Alabama on March 24, 1938 to loving parents Ollie and James William "JW" White. His father decided to leave the small town and move to the city. His family moved to Birmingham, where JW got a job driving buses for Greyhound. Lamar attended Phillips High School. While in high school, he learned bookkeeping and worked at Sherwin Williams, thus beginning a long and rewarding career in accounting.

Lamar attended the University of Alabama, graduating in Accounting. While studying there, he met his future wife of 56 years, Wanda Sorrell. Lamar served in the Air Force National Guard, where he worked in finance and administration. He later spoke often of his tour during the Berlin Crisis of 1961 in Paris, France, where a self-described country boy visited cathedrals, museums and ski slopes, places he had never imagined.

Upon his return, Lamar and Wanda were married at her parents’ home in 1961. He began work as an auditor at Coopers and Lybrand, traveling across the Southeast to clients of the Birmingham office. They often traveled together, with Wanda bringing along an electric cooker to provide home-cooked meals.

Their family grew, first with the birth of Steven in 1966, followed by twins Bradley and Brian in 1970. Lamar’s career progressed rapidly due in large part to his talents, abilities, and his affinity for making lifelong friends. He was widely recognized as a wise mentor, a loyal friend, and an incredibly generous person. He became a partner of the firm in 1973. He and Wanda traveled to numerous fun and wondrous places with great friends.

Most of his career, Lamar worked in his beloved Birmingham. In 1990, he and Wanda moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where they grew to consider themselves Atlantans through their involvement in their church community and in their neighborhood of Buckhead. During their decade’s tenure in Atlanta, they experienced the perennially listless but newly-awakened championship baseball of the Atlanta Braves, as well as the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Lamar retired from Coopers and Lybrand in May 1997. He and Wanda left Atlanta and moved back to Birmingham in 1999 to care for their ailing mothers.

Lamar and Wanda were a great team. He worked hard, traveled frequently, and she took care of everything at home. Together they raised three sons who grew up to be loving, dedicated husbands and fathers just like their dad.

Lamar will be remembered for many things, but his gift for seeing the best in every person he met was his greatest attribute. He had an extensive “family” of former coworkers who loved and admired him, and stayed close to him throughout his life.

Left to cherish Lamar's memory are his three sons, Steven (Maria), Bradley (Heather), and Brian (Lori); his beloved grandchildren, Margaret, Henry, Andrew, Elizabeth, John, Janie, Mac, and Will; and numerous family and friends. He was predeceased by his parents, his wife Wanda, his sister Miriam Christmas, and two brothers, Thomas White and John Seynous White. He leaves behind a legacy of leadership.

Lamar's Christian faith was central to his life and was a source of great strength as he met his life’s end with courage and hope. During his service at Wieuca Road Baptist Church in Atlanta and at Mountain Brook Baptist Church in Birmingham, he was a Deacon, a Sunday School leader, and a van driver for homebound, elderly members who needed a ride every Sunday.

The family wishes to thank the physicians and nursing staff at Saint Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham for their diligent care in Lamar's last days. He will be missed greatly.

Family and friends will gather for visitation at Ridout's Southern Heritage Funeral Home in Pelham, Alabama on Wednesday evening, September 6, 2023 from 6-8 p.m. On Thursday, September 7, 2023, a service will be held at Mountain Brook Baptist Church, Birmingham at 10 a.m., with a graveside service following at 12 noon at Southern Heritage Cemetery, Pelham.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.SouthernHeritageFunerals.com for Clifford Lamar White's family.