Charles “Max” White, 89, a giant of a man to those who know him, quietly passed through the veil of death while at home in Payson, UT on 12 May 2019 in order to, as he sometimes called it, “go report in.” Max valiantly completed his mortal probation and has, no doubt, moved on to accept additional assignments our Savior has for him.
He was born on 5 July 1929 to Charles Alfred White and Hilda Eleanora Stevens in Porterville, Morgan County, Utah. Raised on a farm in a small, rural, mountain community, Max learned the value in hard work and in raising animals. Even though as a youth he and his family moved from the farm to a city, Clearfield, Utah, the love of many aspects of farm life never left him.
In 1949 Max graduated from Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah. A few months later he embarked on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Norway Oslo Mission. He served there from 1949 – 1952.
The mandatory draft for the Korean War was in effect when Max returned home from Norway. Desiring to serve his country, and believing military service would help him transition to non-missionary life as well as help with his future education via the GI Bill, Max went to the draft board and asked them to move his name up the list. Max then shipped out for Europe to be a part of the post-WWII occupational forces in Germany.
Headquartered in Schweinfurt, Germany, Max was assigned to be a courier between division and regiment. In his off-time, he built and flew U-controlled, glider, and free-flight model airplanes. He and some of his army buddies entered their planes in German contests, sometimes winning prizes.
Following an honorable discharge from the Army in the fall of 1955, Max enrolled at the Northrop Institute of Technology in Inglewood, California. Three intense years later he graduated with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. While enrolled at Northrop Max met and dated Karla Ann Jensen, who was also from Clearfield, Utah. They married on 15 June 1956 in Los Angeles, California, and they were subsequently sealed for time and all eternity in the Los Angeles Temple on 2 May 1958.
After graduation Max secured employment with Thiokol Corporation at Promontory, Utah working on the Minuteman ICBM, so Max and Karla purchased their first home in Brigham City, Utah. Max worked almost all his career at Thiokol while they lived in that same first home.
As parents of six children, including one foster daughter, Max and Karla purchased a farm on the outskirts of Brigham City, Utah to help their children learn to work hard, endure challenges, and faithfully fulfill responsibilities. They were taught that even if one is sick, injured, depressed, or just doesn’t feel like it, animals must be cared for night and morning. They were also taught that those same farm lessons apply to other non-farm responsibilities in life.
Three weeks after retiring from Thiokol in 1991, at age 62, Max and Karla began serving a 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Missouri Independence mission. A few months after returning home they left again to serve for two years in the Scotland Edinburgh mission. After their return from Scotland they served two years as ordinance workers in the Ogden, Utah Temple, followed by two years of service in the Ogden Inner City mission, and then they went back to the Ogden, Utah Temple for 3 years. They served their final mission in the Texas, Houston area.
Max served in many church callings throughout his life, including stake mission president, high priests group leader, high councilor, bishop, stake presidency counselor, and patriarch. He was a functioning stake patriarch in Payson, UT until a couple of months before his death when it became too painful for him to stand while giving a patriarchal blessing.
He is survived by his loving wife of almost 63 years, his younger brothers Leland Darrell (Joyce) White and Robert Ralph (Carolyn) White, his younger sister Joan (J Douglas, deceased) Carr, and by his children Cindi Lyn (Ty) Ellis, Elk Ridge, UT; Scott Cameron (Juleen) White, Kaysville, UT; Lynette Karla (David) Kern, Orem, UT; Lorene (Corbet) Austin, North Ogden, UT; Kevin Charles (Angela) White, Elk Ridge, UT; and Darin Michael (Jennifer) White, Auburn, AL. Max and Karla have 23 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren. Max was preceded in death by his parents and his older brother, Donald Martini (Frances) White.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, 18 May 2019 at 11:00 a.m. in the Mount Nebo Stake Center, 608 West 1400 South, Payson, UT. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. before the funeral. There will also be a visitation on Friday, 17 May 2019, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in the Walker mortuary at 587 South 100 West, Payson, UT. Interment will be in the Levan City Cemetery.
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