JoAnna White died on April 28 at her home in Burns in the presence of her husband, children and grandchildren.

She was born in Ontario on Aug. 3, 1935, to John Henry Westfall and Naomi Esther (Brewer) Westfall, the first of their two children.

On Feb. 7, White was diagnosed with bile duct and pancreatic cancer, which was determined to be inoperable by cancer specialists at Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital. She returned home under the care of her family and Harney County Hospice, which allowed her the privilege of spending her final days in the comfort of her home surrounded by family and friends.

White’s father worked on the Oregon State Highway Department Highway Bridge Crew during her first three years of grade school, resulting in her attending many different schools and always being the new girl in class. In 1944, he took a maintenance job for the State Highway Department at Seneca, where she attended grades fourth through seventh. In 1948, the family moved to Hines where she attended the eighth grade. She graduated from Burns High School in 1953.

After high school, White was hired as a secretary for the State Highway Department in Burns, where she worked for a year before leaving with her husband as he entered the U.S. Army.

She and Dale White were married on April 11, 1954, in Burns, and had just celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary a few days prior to her death. She had three children, Linda, Kathy and Ron.

White was primarily a housewife devoted to the upbringing of her children. When her children were small, she was a Brownie Scout Leader. She had a great love for flowers and not only grew them, but was a talented arranger. She was also a cake decorator and provided many beautiful bouquets and cakes for church, weddings, birthdays and other special occasions.

White participated in numerous community and church activities. She was always ready to lend a helping hand. She was more interested in providing service than in claiming the spotlight.

She was an active member of the Burns/Hines Kiwanis and enjoyed the activities and fellowship of this service organization. She enjoyed participating in fund-raising activities that were primarily for the benefit of the youth programs of Harney County. White was one of the primary originators and developers of the Kiwanis Fishing Pond at the Harney County Fair. In 2004-2005 she was recognized for outstanding dedication to the Kiwanis Club of Burns/Hines as Kiwanian of the Year.

White’s great love was her church, where she had been a member of First Baptist Church (now Faith Baptist) from 1949 until the present. She was a Sunday school teacher, young people’s leader, deaconess, vacation Bible school leader, camp counselor, King’s Daughters leader, choir member, Awana listener, and served on various church committees and commissions. She was a member of the building committee that resulted in the building of the new addition to her church that is now under construction. One of her desires was to be able to get strong enough so she could again attend church, but it was not to be.

On April 23, she worked up enough strength to take a wheel chair tour of the church and the new construction, which buoyed her spirits. It gave her great satisfaction to see the progress that was being made on the addition, and she would have loved to have lived to see it completed, but God had greater plans for her.

White is survived by her husband, Dale; children, Linda (White) Bennett and husband Rod; Kathy (White) Wassom and husband Ron; and Ron White and wife Debbie; six grandchildren, Levi Bennett and wife Joelle, Mandi Bennett, Natalie Wassom, Shyanne White and fiancé Timothy Slate, Samantha White and Chance White; and one great-granddaughter, Jorah Bennett.

She is also survived by brother-in-law, Don White and wife Lois; sister-in-law, Terry Westfall, and nieces and nephews, Tammy and Derek Sebright, Debbie and Ron Ryan, Bob and Stacy Westfall, Jim Westfall, Kurt White, Joel and Nadra White, Charlotte Lamborn, Rawleigh and Gretchen White, and Dean and Petrina White; numerous other family members; and a host of friends.

White was preceded in death by her parents, John and Naomi Westfall, and her brother, Johnny Westfall, who was born on her 11th birthday, and unfortunately succumbed to the same pancreatic cancer that claimed her.

A celebration of White’s life will be held at Faith Baptist Church on Saturday, May 3, at 2 p.m. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Faith Baptist Church Memorial Fund, Harney County Hospice, Harney County Senior Center, or to a charity of one’s choice.