Anchorage Daily News December 1, 2002
Longtime Alaska pioneer BENONA ''BEN'' CANDACE WHITE, 91, died peacefully Nov. 27, 2002, after a brief stay at Providence Extended Care Center in Anchorage. His family wrote: ''He went home to be with his Lord and Saviour. A second major stroke in four years proved to be an insurmountable obstacle.'' A visitation was held at First Assembly of God, 1540 C St., with a funeral, followed by a graveside service at Angelus Memorial Park off Klatt Road.
Mr. White was born Sept. 1, 1911, in a sod-covered dugout near Gooby, S.D., the son of a large pioneer family. As a boy, he learned the value of a ''shooting iron'' and how to lasso and judge horses. After a family tragedy while he was a young man, Mr. White moved to Alaska in 1935, obtained a grubstake and headed into the wilderness to trap furs. He learned to mush a dog team from an Alaska Native in Ruby, trapped furs and prospected for gold in the Brooks Range. He also worked as a firefighter on a steam locomotive on the Alaska Railroad. Mr. White married Elna Wyland in 1942 and enlisted with the Army Air Corps, serving in World War II as a mechanic on B-25 bombers in Arizona. After the war, he and his wife settled in Anchorage on F Street in South Addition, where he lived for more than 50 years. He worked as a sheet metal craftsman and learned to fly small airplanes. After mortgaging their home, Mr. White purchased a Cessna 180 and became a bush pilot and master guide, specializing in the big brown bears of the Alaska Peninsula. Ben was forced to retire after the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act closed his lodge in what is now Katmai National Park. After his second wife died, he married Elsa Johnson in 1980 and lived with her for 16 years. Mr. White moved into Marlow Manor in 2000, two years after his first major stroke left him paralyzed on the right side. His family wrote: ''Ben remained extremely independent with an exceptionally sound mind until the end, and was fearless in the face of death. He was highly respected and loved by all who knew him.''
Mr. White is survived by his grandson, Richard White of Mammoth Lakes, Calif.; nephews and nieces in the Pacific Northwest; and numerous close friends. Service arrangements were by Kehl's Forest Lawn Mortuary and Crematory.
Longtime Alaska pioneer BENONA ''BEN'' CANDACE WHITE, 91, died peacefully Nov. 27, 2002, after a brief stay at Providence Extended Care Center in Anchorage. His family wrote: ''He went home to be with his Lord and Saviour. A second major stroke in four years proved to be an insurmountable obstacle.'' A visitation was held at First Assembly of God, 1540 C St., with a funeral, followed by a graveside service at Angelus Memorial Park off Klatt Road.
Mr. White was born Sept. 1, 1911, in a sod-covered dugout near Gooby, S.D., the son of a large pioneer family. As a boy, he learned the value of a ''shooting iron'' and how to lasso and judge horses. After a family tragedy while he was a young man, Mr. White moved to Alaska in 1935, obtained a grubstake and headed into the wilderness to trap furs. He learned to mush a dog team from an Alaska Native in Ruby, trapped furs and prospected for gold in the Brooks Range. He also worked as a firefighter on a steam locomotive on the Alaska Railroad. Mr. White married Elna Wyland in 1942 and enlisted with the Army Air Corps, serving in World War II as a mechanic on B-25 bombers in Arizona. After the war, he and his wife settled in Anchorage on F Street in South Addition, where he lived for more than 50 years. He worked as a sheet metal craftsman and learned to fly small airplanes. After mortgaging their home, Mr. White purchased a Cessna 180 and became a bush pilot and master guide, specializing in the big brown bears of the Alaska Peninsula. Ben was forced to retire after the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act closed his lodge in what is now Katmai National Park. After his second wife died, he married Elsa Johnson in 1980 and lived with her for 16 years. Mr. White moved into Marlow Manor in 2000, two years after his first major stroke left him paralyzed on the right side. His family wrote: ''Ben remained extremely independent with an exceptionally sound mind until the end, and was fearless in the face of death. He was highly respected and loved by all who knew him.''
Mr. White is survived by his grandson, Richard White of Mammoth Lakes, Calif.; nephews and nieces in the Pacific Northwest; and numerous close friends. Service arrangements were by Kehl's Forest Lawn Mortuary and Crematory.
Anchorage Daily News December 1, 2002
Longtime Alaska pioneer BENONA ''BEN'' CANDACE WHITE, 91, died peacefully Nov. 27, 2002, after a brief stay at Providence Extended Care Center in Anchorage. His family wrote: ''He went home to be with his Lord and Saviour. A second major stroke in four years proved to be an insurmountable obstacle.'' A visitation was held at First Assembly of God, 1540 C St., with a funeral, followed by a graveside service at Angelus Memorial Park off Klatt Road.
Mr. White was born Sept. 1, 1911, in a sod-covered dugout near Gooby, S.D., the son of a large pioneer family. As a boy, he learned the value of a ''shooting iron'' and how to lasso and judge horses. After a family tragedy while he was a young man, Mr. White moved to Alaska in 1935, obtained a grubstake and headed into the wilderness to trap furs. He learned to mush a dog team from an Alaska Native in Ruby, trapped furs and prospected for gold in the Brooks Range. He also worked as a firefighter on a steam locomotive on the Alaska Railroad. Mr. White married Elna Wyland in 1942 and enlisted with the Army Air Corps, serving in World War II as a mechanic on B-25 bombers in Arizona. After the war, he and his wife settled in Anchorage on F Street in South Addition, where he lived for more than 50 years. He worked as a sheet metal craftsman and learned to fly small airplanes. After mortgaging their home, Mr. White purchased a Cessna 180 and became a bush pilot and master guide, specializing in the big brown bears of the Alaska Peninsula. Ben was forced to retire after the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act closed his lodge in what is now Katmai National Park. After his second wife died, he married Elsa Johnson in 1980 and lived with her for 16 years. Mr. White moved into Marlow Manor in 2000, two years after his first major stroke left him paralyzed on the right side. His family wrote: ''Ben remained extremely independent with an exceptionally sound mind until the end, and was fearless in the face of death. He was highly respected and loved by all who knew him.''
Mr. White is survived by his grandson, Richard White of Mammoth Lakes, Calif.; nephews and nieces in the Pacific Northwest; and numerous close friends. Service arrangements were by Kehl's Forest Lawn Mortuary and Crematory.
Longtime Alaska pioneer BENONA ''BEN'' CANDACE WHITE, 91, died peacefully Nov. 27, 2002, after a brief stay at Providence Extended Care Center in Anchorage. His family wrote: ''He went home to be with his Lord and Saviour. A second major stroke in four years proved to be an insurmountable obstacle.'' A visitation was held at First Assembly of God, 1540 C St., with a funeral, followed by a graveside service at Angelus Memorial Park off Klatt Road.
Mr. White was born Sept. 1, 1911, in a sod-covered dugout near Gooby, S.D., the son of a large pioneer family. As a boy, he learned the value of a ''shooting iron'' and how to lasso and judge horses. After a family tragedy while he was a young man, Mr. White moved to Alaska in 1935, obtained a grubstake and headed into the wilderness to trap furs. He learned to mush a dog team from an Alaska Native in Ruby, trapped furs and prospected for gold in the Brooks Range. He also worked as a firefighter on a steam locomotive on the Alaska Railroad. Mr. White married Elna Wyland in 1942 and enlisted with the Army Air Corps, serving in World War II as a mechanic on B-25 bombers in Arizona. After the war, he and his wife settled in Anchorage on F Street in South Addition, where he lived for more than 50 years. He worked as a sheet metal craftsman and learned to fly small airplanes. After mortgaging their home, Mr. White purchased a Cessna 180 and became a bush pilot and master guide, specializing in the big brown bears of the Alaska Peninsula. Ben was forced to retire after the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act closed his lodge in what is now Katmai National Park. After his second wife died, he married Elsa Johnson in 1980 and lived with her for 16 years. Mr. White moved into Marlow Manor in 2000, two years after his first major stroke left him paralyzed on the right side. His family wrote: ''Ben remained extremely independent with an exceptionally sound mind until the end, and was fearless in the face of death. He was highly respected and loved by all who knew him.''
Mr. White is survived by his grandson, Richard White of Mammoth Lakes, Calif.; nephews and nieces in the Pacific Northwest; and numerous close friends. Service arrangements were by Kehl's Forest Lawn Mortuary and Crematory.
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