Nancy Antionette White

July 20, 1941 – September 17, 2026

Our beloved mother, Nancy Antionette Philips White, 85, of Pensacola, Florida, died at home surrounded by her family on September 17, 2026.

Nancy (Mom) is survived by her husband, William (Bill) Clinton White, Jr.; her two siblings, Malcolm Howard Philips, Jr. (spouse Kitty Philips) and Diane Lee Philips Jenkins (spouse Robert Jenkins); three daughters, Katherine Evelyn (Gray) Yenzer (spouse Jim Yenzer), Diane Elizabeth (Beth) Overley-Adamson (spouse Terry Adamson), and Christine Llewyllyn Antionette White; eight grandchildren, Ryan Mathew Gray (spouse Kelly Teubner Gray), Christopher William Gray (spouse Samantha Goshia Gray), Thomas Nathanael Gray, Jack Matthew Santori, Willa Kathlyn Antionette Santori, Drake Amerigo Santori, Isabella Morgan Adamson, and William White Adamson; and three great-grandchildren, Laura Rae Gray, Jason Mathew Gray, and Luke Gordon Gray. She is also survived by seven grand-dogs, several grand-goats, and one grand green-winged macaw named Bob.

Nancy was born July 20, 1941, at Saint Joseph Hospital in Houston, Texas as the first child of Malcolm Howard Philips and Kathlyn Antionette McDonald Philips. She was raised in a Christian, military family and traveled extensively with her family when young. However, she always considered Sunset Lake in Huntsville, Texas to be her home. It was in Huntsville, during high school, that a teacher sparked her lifelong passion for mathematics and education.

Nancy’s family moved in her last year of high school, and she graduated from Lathrop High School in Fairbanks, Alaska. She attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Mathematics. While there, she was crowned Miss University of Alaska and worked as a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines. Later, she also earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia.

While in Alaska, Nancy met Army helicopter pilot William (Bill) Clinton White, Jr. A year later, they married on May 30, 1965, at the Fort Wainwright Military Chapel near Fairbanks, Alaska. Nancy was a talented seamstress and sewed her own wedding dress from a bolt of silk that her mother gave her as an engagement gift. This marriage lasted 61 years.

Nancy lived an adventurous life. She rode a water buffalo in Guam, jumped horses in Japan, and played tennis with Clint Eastwood in California. She waterskied, snow skied, drag-raced, and scuba dived. She earned her pilot’s license in Alaska, where she flew a Piper PA-22. She was also an accomplished marksman and enjoyed competitive games of golf and bridge.

Nancy inherited a passion for sailing from her father, and our family spent many weekends sailing the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. Later in life, our parents bought a boat in Antigua, and they sailed the Caribbean from Puerto Rico to Trinidad. They made their home in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia for nearly a decade, until they returned stateside to care for their aging parents.

As a lifelong educator, Nancy served as a Girl Scout troop leader, Sunday School teacher, needlework instructor, math tutor, and coach for softball and tennis. She stayed home while her children were young and returned to full-time teaching in 1980. She taught Mathematics and Computer Science at Gar-Field Senior High School in Woodbridge, Virginia. She was an early pioneer of computer literacy and co-wrote the county-wide curriculum. She also received numerous teaching awards that include the Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award and the Tandy Outstanding Educator Award. She later served as the Supervisor of Mathematics and Science for Prince William County Public Schools. While teaching, she also served as head coach for the girls’ tennis team at Gar-Field Senior High School.

Faith was always an important aspect of Nancy's life. In her later years, she devoted much of her time to All Saints Anglican Church in Pensacola, Florida. There she served as treasurer, Sunday School teacher, and Vacation Bible School leader. Alongside her husband, she provided rides to anyone who needed them and cared for the widows of the congregation.

Nancy also had a passion for family history. She collected writings, photos, genealogies, letters, diaries, and memoirs that date back to the 18th century. To honor her legacy, our family plans to digitize, organize, and publish her archives for future generations. To keep her story growing, we ask former students, colleagues, friends, church members, and extended family to share their memories, photos, or letters with us.

Nancy lived a rich and purposeful life. She was brilliant, faithful, determined, and unmistakably herself. Of all her roles over the course of her 85 years, the most important were the simplest: Mom, Nana, Mimi, and Wife. She loved her family dearly, just as we love her.

Services will be held at 12 pm at October 23, 2026, at Oaklawn Funeral Home in Pensacola, Florida.

A Committal Service will be held at Barrancas National Cemetery, 1 Cemetery Rd, Pensacola, FL 32508, US, on October 23, 2026, from 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm.

For service details or to share a memory, please email [email protected].