Freda Steele White
Freda Steele White
August 2, 2011
Freda Steele White, 76, loving wife, mother and grandmother, passed away on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at her home in Auburn after an extended illness.
A memorial service was held at the First Presbyterian Church in Auburn on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011 with Dr. Frank Covington, the Rev. Rachel Winter and the Rev. Lisa Stenner officiating. A reception followed in Conway Fellowship Hall at the church. A private burial took place earlier at Memorial Garden Cemetery.
Preceding her in death were her parents Lonzo Steele and Flossie Wooten Steele, of Phil Campbell, Ala.; brothers, Lonzo Sherman Steele (Evelyne Hicks), of Nashville, Tenn., Lloyd Bural Steele, (Phyllis Imogene Sullivan), Joe Floyd Steele and Jack Samuel Steele, all of Phil Campbell; sister, Ila Mae Steele Southern and husband, Clyde, of Muscle Shoals, Ala.
Freda was born December 2, 1934 in Phil Campbell, growing up and graduating from high school there in 1952. She attended Florence State Teachers College for one year, transferring to Auburn where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics Education in December 1955. She was a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority. Prior to graduation, practice teaching was required and she completed this requirement in the Sylacauga City School System. A teaching job became available there in December, and she remained until the end of the school year.
Freda and Herb met while students at Auburn and were married on June 29, 1956. They spent an enjoyable two years at Fort Belvoir, Va., where Herb was serving an ROTC commitment in the army. They lived in Alexandria, Va. where Freda was employed at Hecht’s department store.
After their two years in Virginia, the Whites moved to Enterprise, Ala. where Herb took a job with Sessions Company, a business that processed peanut products. While there, two of their children, Karen and Virginia, were born.
In 1960, Joe Sarver, executive secretary of the Auburn Alumni Association, offered Herb a job as field secretary for the association and the White family moved to Auburn. Shortly after moving to Auburn, two additional daughters were born, Miriam and Kathryne.
During the next 25 years, Freda was busy raising four daughters and enjoying life in Auburn. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Village Gardeners and served as a volunteer for Community Market.
In 1980, she took a job at Auburn University in the continuing education department.
After serving in that position for two years, she moved to the College of Liberal Arts as a student advisor where she was happy working with students and helping them with their curriculum decisions. She retired in l994 and enjoyed traveling, gardening, athletic events and visiting grandchildren.
She is survived by her husband of 55 years, James Herbert White, and their four daughters, Karen Louise Garcia and husband, Eddie, of Tampa, Fla., Virginia Lee Schafer and husband, Jim, of Milton, Ga., Miriam Steele DuToit and husband, Ralf, of Auburn, and Kathryne Ann White, of Savannah, Ga.; five grandchildren, Lauren Garcia, of Tallahassee, Fla.; Robert Schafer, of Athens, Ga.; Sydney Schafer, of Milton, Ga. and Caroline and Alyssa DuToit, of Auburn. She is also survived by one sister, Patricia Pharr, of Montgomery, Ohio; and one brother, Ronald Frank Steele, of Phil Campbell; and 9 nephews and 8 nieces.
The family wishes to express its appreciation to Drs. Michael Gunter and Edith Graves, the Rev. Dr. Frank Covington, the nurses and staff of Hospice Advantage and many others for their compassion and kindness during the months of Freda’s illness.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorials be made to Auburn First Presbyterian Church, 143 East Thach Avenue, Auburn, AL 36830, or Food Bank of East Alabama, 375 Industry Dr., Auburn, AL 36830.
Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
