Obituary of Estheranne White

Estheranne Wieder White passed away suddenly on May 25, 2015 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland at eighty-three years of age. Estheranne was born July 31, 1931 in Reading, Pennsylvania, the third child of William and Carrie Wieder. Her father was a wallpaper hanger and a painter. Her mother was a homemaker, great cook, and later in life volunteered for various civic and charitable causes. Estheranne was named for her dear Aunt Esther, who lavished special attention on her as a child. She discovered reading as a child and it became her favorite thing to do for the rest of her life. In high school, Estheranne was both studious and accomplished, joining many clubs. After high school, she attended and graduated from the Reading Business Institute and then worked for Sun Oil Co., first in Reading and then Philadelphia, after marriage. In 1951, she married Ronald White, the love of her life, and together they began their long, eventful, and wonderful merry whirl of an adventure together. In 1954, after Ron became a commissioned U.S. Naval Supply Officer in Northern Germany for two-and-a-half years, they together explored Europe and the many places Estheranne had read about in her youth. Estheranne was a devoted wife, homemaker, and wonderful mother to her three sons for more than five decades, as Ron's business career caused them to move to nine homes in seven states. At times she had to be both parents to her sons, chauffeuring and attending their many school activities and sporting events because of her husband's demanding work schedule. However, she also enjoyed the opportunities to travel abroad and attend corporate social events because of his successful career. In her mid-thirties, Estheranne began her almost fifty year struggle and battle with bi-polar disorder. Despite the challenges of dealing with the highs and many lows of this mental illness, as well as the many medications and their side effects, she always strove to maintain her warm, caring, encouraging, and fun loving personality with her family and friends. Later in life, she was thrilled to become a grandmother and 'Nana' to her five grandchildren, and was especially excited to have two lovely grand-daughters, since she only had sons. During her last five years at Fox Hill, she would proudly brag to visitors and callers about the academic and other accomplishments of her grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Ronald White, her parents, and her sister, Jane Snyder, formerly of Birdsboro, Pennsylvania. She is survived by her sons and their families; Bradford White of Greenville, North Carolina, daughter-in-law Linda and grandchildren Phillip, Janelle and Jordan; Clifford White of Potomac, Maryland, daughter-in-law Debbie and grandchildren Jeremy and Rachel; and Erick White of Ithaca, New York; and her brother Robert Wieder and sister-in-law Flory of Fort Myers, Florida. Estheranne's memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 20th at 2pm at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church (5450 Massachusetts Ave., Bethesda, MD 20816), followed by a gathering at our home (10920 Cripplegate Road, Potomac, MD 20854). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The National Alliance on Mental Illness, to whom donations can be made online Donate Now or by calling 888-999-6264.