Col. Hoyt Edward White

Col. Hoyt Edward White, age 86, of Athens, Georgia, died Sunday, March 2, 2003 at Athens Regional Medical Center. A native of White County, he was born November 22, 1916 to Wesley White and Dorothy Barnes White. After his parents death at a young age, his aunt Kloma Batchelor raised him and put him through Tallulah Falls School and Georgia Tech where he received a BSE in Electrical Engineering and was a member of the ROTC. While at Georgia Tech he worked in the CCC during the summer. After graduating from Georgia Tech in 1939, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corp. He was a member of the 12th Army Group during WWII and served in the European Theatre. Following WWII he graduated from the University of Illinois with a masters in Electrical Engineering. While serving his country he was stationed at Sandia Base in New Mexico, Fort Monmouth in New Jersey where he taught at West Point, Korea in 1954, Japan in 1955, Fort McPherson in Atlanta for 2 years, Turkey for 2 years, and Falls Church, VA where he worked at the Pentagon several different times during his career. At the end of his career he was executive project officer for 3 years for the Defense Communications Agency in Arlington, VA. During a distinguished career of 33 years spanning World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam Era, he obtained the rank of full Colonel before retiring in 1971. He was awarded the bronze star, bronze service medal and 2 legions of merrit. After leaving the military, he taught middle school in Toccoa for 3 years and has lived in Athens since 1975 as a gentleman gardner.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years Josephine McCommons White of Athens, GA; two daughters, Judy Carter and husband Tom of Nashville, TN and Marge Lowe and husband Tony of Decatur, GA; an aunt, Pauline Barnes of Clermont, GA; 4 granddaughters, Cyndi Smith, Nancy Carter, Heidi Lowe, and Nikki Lowe; 2 great-grandchildren, Rylie Smith and Dillan "Bubba" Smith.

Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, March 4, 2003 at 2:00 p.m. at McCommons Chapel with Rev. Gary Lowe officiating. Interment will follow at Greensboro City Cemetery. Serving as pallbearers are Scott Erickson, Pete Oliver, Heidi Lowe, Nikki Lowe, Charlton Veazey, Jr. and Deeta McCommons. The family will receive friends after the funeral service at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charlton S. Veazey. The family requests that any memorials be made in Memory of Col. Hoyt E. White to Tallulah Falls School, P.O. Box 10, Tallulah Falls, GA 30573. McCommons Funeral Home, 109 W. Broad St., Greensboro, GA, (706) 453-2626, is in charge of arrangements.

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