LTC Charles "Charlie" Edward White II, USA, Ret.

Memorial Services will be held at noon on Tuesday, Nov. 22, in Delhomme Chapel of the Flowers for Charles “Charlie” White II, 80, who died peacefully at his residence in Lafayette, Louisiana. Brother Luther Burney, Assistant to the Pastor First Baptist Church in Lafayette, will officiate. The family requests that visiting hours be observed from 10 a.m. until the time of service. Charlie was the son of the late Charles Edward White and the former Helen Reed, affectionately known to his family as “Bubby.” Charlie was born on January 5, 1942, in Lafayette, as he would tell people, “at St. Ann’s Infirmary down the street from Borden’s.” He was in the Lafayette High School Class of 1960, where he was a member of the varsity basketball team and was a drum major and played trumpet in the marching band. He is remembered by his classmates as being “a friend to everyone” and still met weekly with many of them as part of the Friday Coffee Group. Charlie went on to attend the University of Southwestern Louisiana, graduating in 1966. While pursuing a degree in Broadcasting, he hosted a radio program on KPEL called “Music in the Night with Charlie White.” Stories have it that when he played his sign-off song, The Kingston Trio’s “Scotch and Soda,” fellas knew that they had until the end of the recording to say goodnight to their sweethearts so they could be back in their dorms by midnight. He also broadcasted USL basketball and football games and was a founding member of Phi Alpha Colony, which would later become the Louisiana Alpha Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) Fraternity at USL. He would later receive his master’s degree in Mass Communication from USL in 1982. Charlie joined the US Army in 1966 and went to Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA. This would lead to a 23+ year career, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. His first assignments included multiple tours in Vietnam as an Infantry Airborne Ranger and Huey helicopter pilot training at Fort Wolters, TX. Additional tours were Infantry and Public Relations assignments at Fort Hood, TX (1st Cavalry Division); Schofield Barracks, HI (25th Infantry Division); Lake Charles, LA (ROTC assistant director at McNeese State University); Monterey, CA (Defense Language Institute, where he became fluent in German); Stuttgart, Germany (US European Command); and Munich, Germany (Army & Air Force Exchange Service). Little did Charlie know, one of his temporary duty assignments would take him to Virginia Beach, where he used his charm, Willie Nelson songs, and Boudreaux & Thibodeaux jokes to win over a local school teacher named Barbara. Another memorable TDY assignment was helping with the 40th Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France, where he worked alongside Walter Cronkite and met President Ronald Reagan. After retiring from the military, Charlie moved his family to his hometown of Lafayette in 1990. He spent time coaching many of the various sports his children participated in, especially basketball and baseball. He was his children’s and grandchildren’s biggest supporter and loved to cheer them on. Charlie was a man of many things, but also a simple man. He enjoyed good food (especially shellfish in spaghetti alle vongole), a good dark beer, chocolate candy, Willie Nelson songs, the Ragin’ Cajuns, and his Great Danes. He was a “people person” who had a knack for remembering names and faces. He delighted in telling jokes and stories, making his grandchildren laugh with his distinctive moo-cow sounds, and starting off road trips by singing “On the Road Again.” Charlie loved activities like scuba diving, shoveling snow and learning how to snow ski in the Alps at the age of 42, volksmarching through the German countryside and villages, and smoking a holiday turkey. He enjoyed hunting and fishing and shared that passion with his grandkids as he patiently taught them all how to bait a hook and cast a line. His love of travel eventually led to his working as a travel agent with Travel Machine, where many knew him from the cruises he helped organize and lead. But most of all, Charlie White loved his family, and they loved him. For each, he will be “Always On My Mind.” He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Barbara Burke White; children, Charles “Trey” Edward White III (Heather) of Denham Springs, LA, Burke Andrew White (Jennifer) of Nolensville, TN, and Molly Margaret White Stowers (Paul) of Colorado Springs, CO; grandchildren, Sylvia, Caroline, Evelyn, McKinzey, Reed, Mae, Charleston, Sullivan, and Lofton; brothers, Clark Lofton White (Spring) and Samuel Kent White (Dulcy); brother-in-law, R. O. “Pete” Hodnett. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Helen Reed White; stepmother, Mary Alice Simons White; and sister, Jane White Hodnett. In remembrance of Charlie’s life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to one of the following: Reel Recovery, the Acadiana Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, or Hospice of Acadiana. Personal condolences may be sent to the White family at: www.delhommefuneralhome.com Charles “Charlie” Edward White II and his family have entrusted final arrangements to Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette, LA. Copyright Delhomme Funeral Homes, Inc. November 2022

LTC Charles "Charlie" Edward White II, USA, Ret.

January 5, 1942 - October 29, 2022