Richard Dorsey White died Thursday, July 2, 2026, due to a lengthy illness, and most recently after 15 days hospitalization with complications. He was born December 28, 1942, in Washington D.C. to Lt. Commander Dorsey Marvin White, US Navy, of Roanoke, VA, and Elizabeth Lorraine Hoffman, of Washington D.C.

Dick White, as he was known by family & many young friends, as well as later co-workers, grew up in a Navy family & traveled back & forth across the United State coast to coast, more than once as his father's career would take them (18 Cities in 22 years). Dick liked to think this made him "worldly". With each transfer, his mother, sister Diane, & grandmother, Lorraine Hoffman, (better known to them as Lollie), would load up the family goods, their dog Whitey, & travel to the new destination hitting all the interesting sites along the way. Dick learned a lot about these United States & life through these excursions. In each town he was eager to make new friends & join the sports teams, Boy Scouts & later Explorer Scouts, & in addition he served Mass at his local church, Sacred Heart Church, as an Altar Boy. He graduated from 8* grade at Sacred Heart Elementary in Coronado, CA. He graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD, where he played football. He followed his education career in GA after his father retired to Sandy Springs, GA, just outside of Atlanta, & then attended University of GA.

He was no stranger to work as he served as a soda jerk in downtown Coronado and had an early morning paper route throughout the Silver Strand District, followed by serving as a lifeguard on the Coronado Beaches his last summer there. He & his buddies enjoyed riding their bicycles down to Hotel Del Coronado for movie star citing. They made friends with the children of the stars like Jane Russell who frequented Hotel Del & enjoyed the pool.

Starting with Addressograph Multigraph in Atlanta, was a great place to enter the workforce after college & he quickly climbed the ranks & learned the skills necessary for sales & marketing. Soon his management & marketing skills took him to chicken & meat processing plants where he gradually honed his expertise in further processed chicken products which were fast becoming new food items to compete with the rise of the hamburger. He took a quick detour & opened his own business of selling specialty meats and learned to prepare & cook them to perfection for wholesale customers as a means of further marketing those products. This opened a new phase of further processed products, particularly chicken & the marketing of these products. He worked in conjunction with the National Broiler Council to visit & teach foreign countries how to enter the poultry industry, & how to regulate the growth potential of chickens to an ideal weight for further processing.

These were great learning experiences for Richard & soon became teaching methods which he used in various companies throughout his career. He authored articles on Strategic Planning in Broiler Industry & Poultry International magazines; authored monthly columns in Broiler Industry Magazine & presented invited papers on U.S. Poultry & Egg Marketing to Poultry Federations in the USA, Spain & Portugal.

White worked for some great companies along the way: It started with a 1-year marketing & transportation in-house consult for the holding company of Country Pride, Natchitoches, where he met the love of his life & married Mary Williams Mims on March 9, 1985. Then he went on to intense food service executive level marketing for such major food service firms as: Victor F. Weaver, Inc., Major Smith, Inc., Farmers Pride, Inc., Vie de France Corporation, Nestle Foodservice (Nestle USA/Nestle Canada), among others.

A major illness was the cause of his retirement from further processed foods in 2006, & after recovery he joined the Mary White Team of Realtors at Coldwell Banker Homesale Services, managing & marketing specifically for the team, & ultimately becoming a licensed Realtor working for the team under the Coldwell Banker Homesale banner, & later Prudential Homesale.

Richard was active in the Lancaster community as Past President of The Rockford Foundation, Past Vice Chairman Board of Directors Junior Achievement (PA); Past Vice Director of Junior Achievement of Central PA, Corporate Board of Directors & Executive Committee; Past VP Northeast Rotary Club, Lancaster, & Past Director; Past President Parish Council of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, New Holland, PA& Annual Festival Chair for two years. He was an active golfer & volunteer.

He & Mary enjoyed golfing together & with friends. He loved skiing in Colorado & helping with the high school ski trips. Annual Beach Vacations on the Jersey & Maryland shores with the family were great! Cruising was his passion, particularly two trips to the Western Mediterranean from Barcelona around the boot of Italy from Venice to Rome with a stop in Santorini and Athens, two trips to Alaska including the land package the second time, & cruising anywhere in the Caribbean-Eastern, Western & Southern Caribbean Islands; also Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas, & the Mexican Riviera.

Richard & Mary & her two children moved to Lancaster, PA, in April 1985, & stayed 27.5 years there before returning to Natchitoches in 2012.

In Natchitoches, the Whites continued their real estate business at Collins & Stamey, then Bolton Realty, and finally Century 21-Buelow-Miller Realty. Richard was active in the Walter P. Ledet Coffee Club, Past President of the Rotary Club of Natchitoches, & a member of the Knights & Dames of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

He is survived by his children, Dr. Brian White (Samantha) GA, Amanda White Spoto (Tony) GA, Jennifer Mims Roquemore (Romulus) LA. James "Jay" Mims, LA, Also, grandchildren: Eleanor Pattillo, GA, the Spoto grandchildren: Annabelle, Madelynn, Addison, & Lily Spoto (All GA). Also, the Roquemore grandchildren, Courtney Baker (Riley), Brittany Thacker (Micheal), Kayla O'Bannon (Garrett), John Keith Roquemore (Lauren), TX, Matthew, Catherine, Hannah, Jacob & Madelyn Roquemore. (All LA), Also, Jace & Christian Carpenter, Marilyn Mims, & Kennedi Carpenter Harper (Grayson) All LA. In addition: there are 7 great grandchildren: The Bakers: Courley, Chaler, Remi, & Leland; Kinsley O'Bannon; & Gracie & Lucas Harper (All LA).

In addition, he is survived by his sister, Diane White Ramsey, of Marietta, GA, and her four daughters, Michele Rauen, Laurie Scherer (Scott), Stacye Hill (Matt), & Beth Willard (Janson) all of GA. And numerous great nieces & great nephews: Alexa, Jessica & Chase Rauen; Samantha, Andrew & Whitney Scherer; Reagan, Caitlyn & Ryan Hill; & Scarlett Willard, all of GA.

The Visitation will be held 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Tuesday July 7, 2026, at Blanchard St. Denis Funeral Home, with Recitation of the Rosary 7:00-7:30 p.m. The Requiem Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, 145 Church St., on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. concelebrated by Fr. Irion St. Romain, Pastor, Fr. John O'Brien, and Fr. Joses Pallipurath, with a graveside service at Memory Lawn, Highway #6 West, Natchitoches (via Washington St.). Afterwards, there will be a luncheon with the family at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1105 East Fifth St.

Honorary Pall Bearers are the members of Walter P. Ledet Coffee Club, and the members of the Natchitoches Rotary Club. Also, honorary members are Earl Dugas, Rick Hudson, Jason Parker, Allen Tate, Alan Silberman & Jim Benchich.

The family wishes to thank the caring and professionally competent doctors, nurses and interns in the ER & ICU at NRMC, who provided an outpouring of support for their patient.