Richard Onnen White

In Memory of Richard O. White Kissimmee FL- Richard O. White, 73, died Saturday, November 1, 2014 at the Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee, FL following a brief illness. He was the son of Raymond and Louise Onnen White. He was preceded in death by his son Richard O. White Jr., and his sister Linda White Ramirez. He is survived by his three daughters, Laura Hueber, Marie Lynch and Barbara Broggelwirth, his step daughter Jennifer Rita Harris as well as his son-in-laws; Robert Hueber, Kenneth Broggelwirth, John Harris, and daughter-in- law Venus White. He was the former husband and good friend of Patricia Ann White and Irene Hayes-Oliveras. He was the grandfather to 9 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren and a step granddaughter. Born and raised in Massapequa, NY, he lived in NY for 37 years then later moved to and was a long time resident of Arizona and most recently Florida. After graduating from Massapequa High School in 1959, he studied at New York Institute of Technology and served in the United States Navy. For most of his life he was a truck driver. He loved driving and drove 18 wheeler tractor trailers across the country. His most memorable accomplishments were his years driving for Entenmanns Bakery and then later at Swift Transportation where he worked from 1987 to 2013. There he started as a driver and eventually went on to become their Training Manager, where he trained the new drivers both hands on, and ran training classes back at Swift Education. When he started at Swift, he was one of a small group of drivers and it was through his experience, loyalty and work ethic that helped it grow to the size that it became today. He was very proud of his accomplishments at Swift, especially as a member of the Safety Team ten years in a row. He retired after almost 27 years in January of 2013. He not only took pride in accomplishments, but truly relished the friends he made throughout his life. He was a fan of life – he loved music, cooking, dining out, martinis, and most of all a good time, which he always brought with him. He fell in love with people and would often make them out to be larger than life, because that’s how he saw things, on a grand scale. He was admired for his intellect, his curiosity about life and learning, his ability to grow and evolve from his experiences, his calm demeanor and for his open-mindedness. He did not die alone; he had people who loved him by his side. To usher him through his last days, his oldest daughter Laura, his stepdaughter Jennifer, her husband John and his ex-wife and best friend, Irene were with him in his final moments. We are grateful and comforted that the man we all loved was in such loving company. Arrangements under the care of Osceola Memory Gardens Funeral Home & Crematory, 1717 Old Boggy Creek Road, Kissimmee, FL 34744 (407) 247-2494 Online condolences can be given at www.osceolamemgds.com.

Richard Onnen White

July 19, 1941 - November 1, 2014