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In Memory

Robert White

Robert White

Robert Moser White
1960 ~ 2014

Robert Moser White, a true man among men, passed away peacefully at home Friday, April 11th, after successfully fighting and holding at bay a rare and deadly form of brain cancer for nearly 20 years. He was 53 years old. Robert's ability to beat the odds and live two decades of joyful and fulfilling life after the onset of his disease speaks volumes about his indomitable spirit and his stubborn belief that he could tackle any challenge and succeed if he just worked hard enough and gave his all. He was a perfect match to his equally strong wife, Liz, and together they have loved and raised a beautiful family of four children.

Robert, born November 23, 1960, in Laredo, Texas, seems to have entered this world with strongly held beliefs and opinions. As a child, he grasped early on the concept of suing in court if he felt he had been wronged, and he quickly put the concept to work within his family of six siblings, as well as his circle of friends. He threatened to sue them so many times that he soon garnered the nickname "Sue" from his older brother and sisters. He didn't really appreciate the nickname, and in fact he threatened to sue his brother if he didn't stop calling him "Sue." While he never did follow through on the threats of his younger years, the irony was not lost on any of his family members when he chose to pursue a legal career and ultimately earned his law degree from Columbia University in New York City, one of the best law schools in the country.

Robert was intense about whatever he set out to do, and he set a high bar for his younger brothers. He taught them a love of musicianship and jazz. He showed them what it meant to get strong and healthy, to sweat and to grind, as he made himself a successful track athlete and swimmer. He taught them that scouting doesn't end with your Eagle. He showed them the fun of making movies, and of building and fixing things yourself. He showed them how to sacrifice everything in missionary service. And he taught them to dream big, when it came to your education. Mostly, he just never, ever quit. 

Robert married Elizabeth Grant in 1985 in the Oakland, California, LDS temple. Robert had graduated in philosophy from BYU and completed his first year at Columbia University Law School. He was home for the summer when they met and immediately clicked. Both had served LDS missions in Germany, albeit in different missions. But their faith, missionary service and their German language skills were not all they had in common. They were both physically active, both loved music, both were hard-working do-it-yourselfers, and they shared each other's dreams and aspirations. One of those was to raise a family of their own. Another was to help Robert complete his degree at Columbia. As soon as they were married, they packed up and headed back to New York together. Their exciting adventure in that great city yielded Robert's law degree, as well as their first child. After law school Robert accepted a position with a prestigious law firm in Houston, and the family came full circle back to Texas, the state where Robert had been born.
Six years into his law career, Robert received his first diagnosis of brain cancer. By now the family included four children, and everyone combined their faith and prayers as dad underwent delicate brain surgery, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. As Robert recovered, he and Liz came to an important decision. It was time to follow his true career dream and leave the law firm behind. So the family packed up again and moved to Sandy, Utah, and Robert landed a position teaching philosophy at Brigham Young University. For the next nearly two decades, Robert taught at BYU, his "dream job", where he loved working with his students. 

In the meantime, his family grew up, and Robert loved the time he was able to spend with them: camping, skiing, backpacking, working with the Boy Scouts, cheering on the Cougars at BYU football games, coaching youth teams, working with his kids on homework projects. He continued his love of music, serving for a time as the ward choir director, but even more importantly he could sing beautifully and crank out a mean Elvis impersonation. He also continued to pursue his physical fitness, completing the SLC Marathon, the Echo Challenge half-ironman and several other triathlons, and multiple 5- and 10K races and century bike rides. All this he did while beating back his cancer time after time when it threatened to derail him.
Ultimately, his cancer came back too virulent for even Robert to overcome it. Throughout his challenge with cancer, Robert relied wholly upon his faith in God and his Savior Jesus Christ to carry him through. His understanding of God's Plan of Salvation was his greatest source of strength. While his life was cut short, it was a life well-lived, and all who love Robert are grateful to have known him, spent time with him, and learned from him. 

Robert is survived by his wife, Liz; children Michael Grant White, Elaine White Thorpe (Ryan), Ian Norman White, Abigail Anne White; grandchildren Braxton and Emma Thorpe; parents Norman Nelson White and Kay Moser White; sisters Kim White Skinner (Charlie) and Robin White Knudsen (Wayne); brothers Jon Moser White (Susan), Paul Moser White (Debra), Eric Moser White (Maylene) and Norman Moser White (Allyson). 

Viewing will be Tuesday evening, April 15, 6-8 pm, at Larkin Sunset Gardens Mortuary, 1950 East 10600 South, Sandy, Utah. Funeral services will be Wednesday, April 16, at 11:30 am, at the LDS chapel 11164 South Londonderry Drive, Sandy, Utah. A one-hour viewing at the chapel will precede the funeral. 
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the LDS Church Perpetual Education Fund or the Hunstman Cancer Center in Salt Lake City.


Published in Salt Lake Tribune from Apr. 13 to Apr. 16, 2014 - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx?pid=170623995#sthash.VsJwtoZG.dpuf

 

Robert White

1960 - 2014 | Obituary | Condolences
 
Robert White Obituary
 
Robert Moser White
1960 ~ 2014
Robert Moser White, a true man among men, passed away peacefully at home Friday, April 11th, after successfully fighting and holding at bay a rare and deadly form of brain cancer for nearly 20 years. He was 53 years old. Robert's ability to beat the odds and live two decades of joyful and fulfilling life after the onset of his disease speaks volumes about his indomitable spirit and his stubborn belief that he could tackle any challenge and succeed if he just worked hard enough and gave his all. He was a perfect match to his equally strong wife, Liz, and together they have loved and raised a beautiful family of four children.
Robert, born November 23, 1960, in Laredo, Texas, seems to have entered this world with strongly held beliefs and opinions. As a child, he grasped early on the concept of suing in court if he felt he had been wronged, and he quickly put the concept to work within his family of six siblings, as well as his circle of friends. He threatened to sue them so many times that he soon garnered the nickname "Sue" from his older brother and sisters. He didn't really appreciate the nickname, and in fact he threatened to sue his brother if he didn't stop calling him "Sue." While he never did follow through on the threats of his younger years, the irony was not lost on any of his family members when he chose to pursue a legal career and ultimately earned his law degree from Columbia University in New York City, one of the best law schools in the country.
Robert was intense about whatever he set out to do, and he set a high bar for his younger brothers. He taught them a love of musicianship and jazz. He showed them what it meant to get strong and healthy, to sweat and to grind, as he made himself a successful track athlete and swimmer. He taught them that scouting doesn't end with your Eagle. He showed them the fun of making movies, and of building and fixing things yourself. He showed them how to sacrifice everything in missionary service. And he taught them to dream big, when it came to your education. Mostly, he just never, ever quit.
Robert married Elizabeth Grant in 1985 in the Oakland, California, LDS temple. Robert had graduated in philosophy from BYU and completed his first year at Columbia University Law School. He was home for the summer when they met and immediately clicked. Both had served LDS missions in Germany, albeit in different missions. But their faith, missionary service and their German language skills were not all they had in common. They were both physically active, both loved music, both were hard-working do-it-yourselfers, and they shared each other's dreams and aspirations. One of those was to raise a family of their own. Another was to help Robert complete his degree at Columbia. As soon as they were married, they packed up and headed back to New York together. Their exciting adventure in that great city yielded Robert's law degree, as well as their first child. After law school Robert accepted a position with a prestigious law firm in Houston, and the family came full circle back to Texas, the state where Robert had been born.
Six years into his law career, Robert received his first diagnosis of brain cancer. By now the family included four children, and everyone combined their faith and prayers as dad underwent delicate brain surgery, followed by radiation and chemotherapy. As Robert recovered, he and Liz came to an important decision. It was time to follow his true career dream and leave the law firm behind. So the family packed up again and moved to Sandy, Utah, and Robert landed a position teaching philosophy at Brigham Young University. For the next nearly two decades, Robert taught at BYU, his "dream job", where he loved working with his students.
In the meantime, his family grew up, and Robert loved the time he was able to spend with them: camping, skiing, backpacking, working with the Boy Scouts, cheering on the Cougars at BYU football games, coaching youth teams, working with his kids on homework projects. He continued his love of music, serving for a time as the ward choir director, but even more importantly he could sing beautifully and crank out a mean Elvis impersonation. He also continued to pursue his physical fitness, completing the SLC Marathon, the Echo Challenge half-ironman and several other triathlons, and multiple 5- and 10K races and century bike rides. All this he did while beating back his cancer time after time when it threatened to derail him.
Ultimately, his cancer came back too virulent for even Robert to overcome it. Throughout his challenge with cancer, Robert relied wholly upon his faith in God and his Savior Jesus Christ to carry him through. His understanding of God's Plan of Salvation was his greatest source of strength. While his life was cut short, it was a life well-lived, and all who love Robert are grateful to have known him, spent time with him, and learned from him.
Robert Moser White is survived by his wife, Liz; children Michael Grant White, Elaine White Thorpe (Ryan), Ian Norman White, Abigail Anne White; grandchildren Braxton and Emma Thorpe; parents Norman Nelson White and Kay Moser White; sisters Kim White Skinner (Charlie) and Robin White Knudsen (Wayne); brothers Jon Moser White (Susan), Paul Moser White (Debra), Eric Moser White (Maylene) and Norman Moser White (Allyson).
Viewing will be Tuesday evening, April 15, 6-8 pm, at Larkin Sunset Gardens Mortuary, 1950 East 10600 South, Sandy, Utah. Funeral services will be Wednesday, April 16, at 11:30 am, at the LDS chapel 11164 South Londonderry Drive, Sandy, Utah. A one-hour viewing at the chapel will precede the funeral.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the LDS Church Perpetual Education Fund or the Hunstman Cancer Center in Salt Lake City.
- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?n=robert-white&pid=170623994&fhid=19570#sthash.9HMkSLVV.dpuf

 
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04/14/14 09:25 AM #1    

Lori Manning

I am so sorry for your loss.  Comfort and peace from our Savior Jesus Christ.


 


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