Mary Virginia White

Mary Virginia Alred White, a retired elementary educator and high school librarian, passed away on Saturday, July 18, 2015 at Marshall Medical Center North after a fall in her home the previous evening. She was 75 years young. She was born on December 15, 1939 in Guntersville, AL to the late Gus and Ludelle Alred. She attended Marshall County High School graduating in the year 1958. Mrs. White obtained a Bachelor of Science from Florence State College in Education in the year 1965 and a Master of Science in Education from Jacksonville State University in the year 1977. She was a member of Bethany Baptist Church in Horton, AL. From the mid sixties till early seventies Mrs. White taught elementary education, first at Rogersville Elementary, and then at Cloverdale Elementary, in Lauderdale County, AL. In the early seventies she moved to Douglas, AL and was the librarian at Douglas High School until she retired in the early eighties. Throughout her career Mrs. White positively impacted the lives of hundreds of students, instilling them with her passion for learning, her loving and caring demeanor, and her irrepressible positive attitude. After her retirement from public education, she worked at her family’s business, The Harbor House Restaurant at Guntersville Marina. She continued work there until she fully retired in the late eighties. In addition to her love of education and learning, Mrs. White had several other passions in her life: She loved cooking for her friends and family, especially sweets and desserts. When people visited, it wasn’t uncommon for her to send them home with dozens of cookies, entire cakes or pounds of peanut butter fudge. She was an avid seamstress for most of her life. Over the years, she created many beautiful, quilts and articles of clothing for her family and friends, and she preferred making things herself rather than buying something at a store. She enjoyed gardening and could identify the species of most any plant in the southern United States. Bird watching was also one of her favorite pastimes. Much like her knowledge of plants, her ability to identify different types of birds was remarkable. She was an avid college football fan. She loved the Auburn Tigers and SEC football. In her house, Saturdays in the Fall were “game day”, and she would often call her family and friends during games to discuss the last drive or how she felt like her team was performing. More than anything else, Mrs. White was most passionate about her relationships with her friends and family. She loved long conversations, and would talk on the phone for hours on end to her loved ones. In her later years, she was fascinated with social media and the internet. She was constantly on facebook staying abreast of what her friends and family were up to. She relished every picture that was posted, most especially the ones of her 6 grandkids, and was always the first one to comment on her friends’ statuses with a kind word or a relevant question. Throughout her life, Mrs. White devoted herself to helping and teaching others. She was always kind, gentle and loving to all those around her. She never complained about her situation, no matter how bad it was at the time, and would always sacrifice her own needs in order to help her children and loved ones. Her essence lives on through the positive impacts that she had on the people that she mentored and nurtured during her time on the Earth. She is survived by two daughters, Amanda Jane White, Mary Richie White Garretson (Greg); and a son, Kevin White (Courtney); a brother, Buddy Alred (Sheila); and 6 grandchildren, Ben Garretson, Emily Garretson, Sam Garretson, Mandi Garretson, Liza Jane White, and Charleston White. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 22nd from 5:00 8:00 PM, at Guntersville Memorial Chapel, the Funeral Service will be on Thursday, July 23rd at 1:00 PM at the Guntersville Memorial Chapel with Bro. Morris Stephens officiating. The burial will be at Marshall Memorial Gardens immediately following the service. Guntersville Memorial Chapel Directing

Mary Virginia White

December 15, 1939 - July 18, 2015