William "Bill" White

William (Bill) Norman White, 56, passed away unexpectedly and gained his heavenly wings early Saturday morning, December 10.

Bill was born January 26, 1966, in Des Moines, Iowa to Norman and Joan (Beauchemin) White. He was the youngest of seven beautiful children born to the couple and was raised on the east side of Des Moines.

He graduated from Dowling Catholic High School in 1984 and, after working part-time at the Des Moines Register and as a paper carrier during school, he followed in his father’s footsteps by working there full time.

This was the beginning of Bill’s over 30-year career in the production business for The Des Moines Register and Columbus Dispatch. During his career, he acquired many lifetime friends and touched the lives of everyone he worked with.

Bill married Kristine (Hoover) in 1999 in the Little Brown Church in Nashua, IA and they spent 23 wonderful years together as best friends. Together they enjoyed traveling, attending concerts, long walks, watching favorite shows, and, most-of-all, being involved in their children’s and grandchildren’s activities.

Bill found his passion coaching his daughter’s softball and basketball teams over the years. Coaching youth and high school students brought him so much joy that when this chapter ended, he began umpiring softball and refereeing basketball and volleyball, often multiple times a week.

He impacted the lives of many youth, parents, coaches, and fellow umpires over the years and the local sports community will miss him dearly. He refereed the evening before he passed away and we take comfort in knowing he spent his last time doing something he so dearly loved.

Bill enjoyed a number of other activities including golfing, traveling with his family, cooking, volunteering, and watching football (especially cheering on his Las Vegas Raiders).

Although his activities and hobbies kept him very busy, he had no greater love than for his family. They gave him great joy and he looked forward to seeing and playing with his grandchildren whenever he had the opportunity.

He was an exceptional husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. With an incredibly compassionate heart, he was always willing to listen and help in any way he could. There was never a deal he couldn’t negotiate, a problem he couldn’t fix (he was an excellent handyman!), or a need he wasn’t willing to go the extra mile to fulfill. His smile and sense of humor were contagious and there was always laughter when he was around.

Bill will be dearly missed by many, including his wife, Kris; his sons, Matt (Sarah) Miller and Steven (Kaitlin) Miller; his daughter, Abigail White; and three grandchildren, Addison, Ares, and Arthur (Artie).
His siblings, Denise (Wilmer) Fulmer, Allen White (Chasity McAtee), Pam Bradford, Donna (Steven) Johns, Tina Brooks (Albert Wadle), and Renee (Dennis) Wulf were some of his best friends throughout life. They will struggle to carry on without the youngest of their clan. He had numerous nieces and nephews who he loved immensely. He was preceded in death by his parents, Norman and Joan.

Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by funeral service at 11:00 a.m., Friday, December 16, 2022, at Lutheran Church of Hope Ankeny, 520 NW 36th Street, Ankeny, IA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the family to be used for a memorial in Bill’s honor.

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