Louis Carrol White died of complications from pneumonia at Baptist Hospital on December 29, 2024, in Beaumont, TX at the age of 91. He was born on September 13, 1933, to George Dewey White and Joanna Burch in Orange, TX.
Louis is survived by his wife, Denise; his daughter, Sheri White and her wife, Brandi Palombo-White. He is also survived by his grandson, Brendan Fletcher and his partner, Kara King, and great-granddaughters, Zoe Weaver and Ivory Fletcher. He is survived by his sister, Violet Sparks of Orange and many nieces and nephews in Texas and Louisiana.
He is preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Bernard White and Dewey White.
Louis grew up in Orange, hunting and trapping with his dad and uncle and spent his summers on the river. When he was older, he spent time in the local establishments in Orange where he developed a reputation for being a tough guy. He drank a few beers with a young George Jones who remained his favorite singer for the rest of his life.
Louis enlisted in the military in 1950 even though he was underage. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and went to Okinawa and Korea to serve in the Korean War. By the time the military realized he was underage, he was already overseas, so they let him stay and he served until the conflict was over. He was a mechanic who serviced the rolling equipment. The highlight of his time in Korea was when a North Korean MiG landed on base after the pilot defected. He was able to get in the plane and check it out when no one was around. After he returned from Korea, Louis returned to the military and served in the Marine Corp. He was stationed in North and South Carolina and in Oklahoma where he earned his GED.
After leaving the military, Louis worked various jobs in retail, finance and insurance for a number of years. He worked for the Orange Leader in the composing room setting type from 1968-1975. In 1975, he went to work for Gulfport Ship Building as a maintenance foreman building offshore drilling rigs for a decade. After the shipyard closed, he went to work for Temple-Inland (Owens-Illinois) paper mill from 1985-1998 when he retired.
Louis was a life-long resident of Orange, TX and moved to Nederland in 2016. He loved his family and was proud of his daughter. When his daughter joined First Baptist Church in 1973, so did he. He loved his sister’s pork roast and his wife’s scrambled eggs and coffee. He loved to be in the backyard with his smoker and cooked many good meals. He loved spending time at his best friend’s pond catching white perch and we’re sure he and Henry are together now doing lots of fishing.
Louis had a very strong work ethic and never missed a day of work. He was an avid reader up until the day he died. He could fix anything that needed to be fixed and loved to tease people and play practical jokes on those he cared for and loved. He will be missed by all those who knew and loved him.
A gathering of Mr. White’s family and friends will begin at 1:00 p.m., with his memorial service at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, February 1, 2025, at Broussard’s, 505 North 12 Street, Nederland. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Louis’ life. His cremation arrangements were handled through Broussard’s Crematorium, Beaumont.
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