Robert “Bob” E. White Jr., born in Greenport, Long Island, New York, to Robert E. White and Lillian Santacroce in 1949, died at his home Dec. 14, 2018.
He married Kristin Kovaleski in 1978 and recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. In 1990 he and his family moved to Fancy Gap, Virginia, where they owned Fox Trail Family Campground, an R.V. park which was highly rated in the state, at the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway. In 2005, he and his family moved to Hayes, Virginia, to retire where he resided until his death.
Even though he had moved to Virginia, Bob kept in touch with many of his friends and fellow veterans via Facebook. Bob was a veteran who served in Vietnam as a Sergeant in the Army’s Military Police; Bob served in that theater during the war and was also deployed to Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Bob remained a member of the Burton Potter American Legion Post #185 for over 34 years. Bob was also a lifetime member of the VFW for Korat Thailand Post #10217 and a lifetime member of General Anthony Wayne Post #58. Prior to moving to Virginia, Bob was a police officer with the Shelter Island Police Department and also worked at his father’s family-owned hardware store in Greenport, New York, “White’s Hardware.”
Bob’s sons followed in his exemplary footsteps of public service. Robert III was a paramedic and later a well-respected nurse in the medical community at Riverside Regional in Newport News and Riverside Walter Reed in Gloucester. Bob was preceded in death by his son, Robert E. White III, in 2016. Gregory is a Sergeant with the James City County Police Department.
Bob is survived by his wife Kristin; son, Gregory, and brother, David who resides in Florida. Bob leaves behind many good friends such as his next-door neighbors who have become family, Bennie and Sherry Williams.
A service of Christian Liturgy conducted by the Rev. James Cowles will be at noon, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018, at Hogg Funeral Home, Gloucester Point. Bob’s ashes, along with his son Robert’s, will be scattered at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family desires memorial contributions be given to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1893, Memphis, Tenn. 38101 or online at donors@stjude.org; or Officer Down Memorial Page, P.O. Box 1047, Fairfax, Va. 22038.
Come to Me
God saw you getting tired, and a cure was not to be, so he put his arms around you, and whispered “Come to Me.” With tearful eyes we watched you, and saw you pass away. Although we loved you dearly, we could not make you stay. A golden heart stopped beating, hard- working hands at rest. God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best.