Robert D. White

1925 — 2009

ZEPHYRHILLS, FL — Robert D. White, 83, of Zephyrhills, Fla., and Norway, died on June 29 after a period of declining health.

He was born Sept. 7, 1925, in Portland the son of Edith (Smith) White and Winfield White. He attended public schools in the Portland area and served in the army during World War II, where he guarded German prisoners of war. Robert also served two years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He married Muriel Marguerite Stonier of Randolph in 1946. In 1950, he went to work for Oakhurst Dairy, first as a home delivery man, and later as a route supervisor and customer service representative. The dairy and its owners, the Bennett family, and his many customers, friends, and coworkers at Oakhurst remained an important part of his life long after his retirement in 1987.

He served on the Scarborough Board of Selectmen, coached youth baseball, and volunteered for the Maine State Police Auxiliary and the Scarborough volunteer fire department. He was also a past member of the Jaycees and Lions Club and was a Dale Carnegie instructor.

He was an avid outdoorsman, a registered Maine Guide, as well as a golfer, RV camper and champion shuffleboard player. In the mid-1980s, he was instrumental in creating Pine Tree Acres, a recreational campground in Buckfield. He was a devoted Red Sox fan who recently began following the Tampa Bay Rays with his daughter Karen, who provided live-in care during his last months.

Robert is survived by his wife of 63 years, Muriel; a son, Gary White and his wife, Cathy, of Portland; three daughters, Gail Michaels and her husband, Joseph, of Satellite Beach, Fla., Carol Stillwell and her husband, Richard, of Portland, and Karen McCarthy of Zephyrhills, Fla.; a brother, John White and his wife, Harriet, of Zephyrhills, Fla.; two sisters, Ruth Dobson and her husband, Ernest, of Hopkinton, N.H., Janet Ellsworth of Augusta, Ga.; three grandchildren, Joleen Gapski of New York; Christopher White of Massachusetts, and Katherine McCarthy of New York City; two great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and beloved dog Bonsai. He was predeceased by an infant son, Bruce Edmund, his father Winfield, and two brothers, Kenneth and Richard.