July 18, 2026, 77, Kenansville – John Carlson White, Jr., of Kenansville, North Carolina, passed away early Saturday, July 18, 2026, at his home at Duplin Country Club, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
Mr. White was born in Wilmington, Delaware on September 3, 1948. He was preceded in death by his parents, John Carlson White and Emily Anderson White. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Jane White. Mr. White is also survived by his sisters and brothers-in-law, Nancy White Rundell and Tom Rundell of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Janet White Jensen and Gene Jensen of Mays Landing, New Jersey; a brother, David White of Radnor, Pennsylvania; and a sister-in-law, Dannie Andrews of Columbus, Georgia. Additionally, he has five nephews, one niece, and their spouses, Clayton and Meghan Rundell of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, David Jensen of Rocky Mount, Virginia, Stephen and Lisa Jensen of Mays Landing, New Jersey, Elizabeth and Garry Graham of Cataula, Georgia, Russell Andrews of Columbus, Georgia, and David Andrews and Kelley O’Brien of Carrboro, North Carolina. Last but not least, he leaves behind his two four-legged “kids,” Hannah, the doggie, and Charlotte, the cat.
Mr. White was very proud of his military service. He graduated from the United States Army Aviation School in November of 1969 as a helicopter pilot after training at Fort Wolters, Texas, and Fort Rucker, Alabama. He served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam from 1969-1970, in a time when others in his generation would not. He was a member of the 282nd Assault Helicopter Company stationed near Marble Mountain in Vietnam. He also served as an instructor pilot at Fort Stewart, Georgia after his service in Vietnam.
He went to Penn State University and graduated from Wofford College in 1975 with a degree in economics. He worked in the textile industry, beginning with Milliken and Company in South Carolina, then with Guilford Mills in Kenansville, North Carolina, and ending his career with Glen Raven Mills in Burlington, North Carolina.
Traveling and cruising were favorite pastimes for John and Jane. They spent four decades traveling all over the world with family and friends. They enjoyed traveling to so many different places, and especially enjoyed meeting many wonderful friends along the way. Some became life-long friends who meant the world to them.
A service to remember and celebrate the life of Mr. John White will be held Friday, July 24, at 11:00 a.m. by the graveside at Devotional Gardens, Warsaw, North Carolina. Military honors will be rendered by the United States Army Honor Guard from Fort Bragg, Fayetteville, North Carolina. At the conclusion of the service, Mrs. White and family will convene to Duplin Country Club to receive friends and relatives, at which a buffet luncheon will be offered to all.
Memorial gifts in Mr. White’s memory may be made to the charity of one’s choice, or to the Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Road, Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256
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