Obituary for Dennis John White
With great sadness, the family of Dennis John White wish to announce his sudden passing on April 19, 2022 at the age of 61 at his residence in Vancouver, BC.
Dennis was born April 27, 1960 in Churchill, Manitoba, the fifth child of Mary and Donald White. A true intellectual and lifetime scholar, Dennis enjoyed reading, math and systems thinking. His early years in Churchill and The Pas, Manitoba were very important to him as he loved the close proximity of his large family, playing board games and attending Cub Scout camp with his older brother Robert. Northern Manitoba was dear to him his entire life.
Dennis moved with the family to Saskatoon when he was 15 and he attended Mount Royal Collegiate. From there, he went on to earn his Bachelor of Science with Honors and Distinction in Computational Science & Mathematics from the University of Saskatchewan. Pepsi, BBQ chips (Old Dutch of course!) and Taco Bell were staples during this time. Dennis loved driving and took many road trips across western Canada. His favorite car was a 1970 Chevrolet Impala which he drove with pride. An avid collector of comic books and vinyl albums, he had a close group of friends who enjoyed similar interests.
Dennis went down an unexpected path when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia after graduating from University. The promise of a brilliant future in computer science and logistics faded as his reality begun to shift. Dennis followed a path that led him to work in various fields and even with his illness, his brilliant mind stayed sharp. He continued to research the etymology of the English language, exceled in solving logic programs and amazed his nieces and nephews with his wealth of knowledge. He eventually found his way to Vancouver and settled. He began collecting old movies and enjoyed the company of his pet budgie birds. Dennis possessed a strong sense of confidence and individualism. Once he set his mind to something, it was extremely difficult to persuade him of something different.
Dennis was a son, brother, cub scout, scholar, uncle, friend, collector, train enthusiast, inquisitive thinker and wonderfully kind person. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Dennis is survived by his siblings Bud White (Sandra) of Penticton, British Columbia; Robert White (Bonnie) of The Pas, Manitoba; Maureen White (Bruce) of St. Bruno, Quebec; Susan White (Greg) of Toronto, Ontario; 12 nieces and nephews and 17 great nieces and nephews. Dennis was predeceased by his parents, Mary in 2006 and Donald in 2020, sisters Valerie in 2011 and Kathryn in 2019, nephew Austin in 2020 and niece Leanne in 2020.
A private family service will be held in Saskatchewan at a later date.
Dennis was born April 27, 1960 in Churchill, Manitoba, the fifth child of Mary and Donald White. A true intellectual and lifetime scholar, Dennis enjoyed reading, math and systems thinking. His early years in Churchill and The Pas, Manitoba were very important to him as he loved the close proximity of his large family, playing board games and attending Cub Scout camp with his older brother Robert. Northern Manitoba was dear to him his entire life.
Dennis moved with the family to Saskatoon when he was 15 and he attended Mount Royal Collegiate. From there, he went on to earn his Bachelor of Science with Honors and Distinction in Computational Science & Mathematics from the University of Saskatchewan. Pepsi, BBQ chips (Old Dutch of course!) and Taco Bell were staples during this time. Dennis loved driving and took many road trips across western Canada. His favorite car was a 1970 Chevrolet Impala which he drove with pride. An avid collector of comic books and vinyl albums, he had a close group of friends who enjoyed similar interests.
Dennis went down an unexpected path when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia after graduating from University. The promise of a brilliant future in computer science and logistics faded as his reality begun to shift. Dennis followed a path that led him to work in various fields and even with his illness, his brilliant mind stayed sharp. He continued to research the etymology of the English language, exceled in solving logic programs and amazed his nieces and nephews with his wealth of knowledge. He eventually found his way to Vancouver and settled. He began collecting old movies and enjoyed the company of his pet budgie birds. Dennis possessed a strong sense of confidence and individualism. Once he set his mind to something, it was extremely difficult to persuade him of something different.
Dennis was a son, brother, cub scout, scholar, uncle, friend, collector, train enthusiast, inquisitive thinker and wonderfully kind person. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Dennis is survived by his siblings Bud White (Sandra) of Penticton, British Columbia; Robert White (Bonnie) of The Pas, Manitoba; Maureen White (Bruce) of St. Bruno, Quebec; Susan White (Greg) of Toronto, Ontario; 12 nieces and nephews and 17 great nieces and nephews. Dennis was predeceased by his parents, Mary in 2006 and Donald in 2020, sisters Valerie in 2011 and Kathryn in 2019, nephew Austin in 2020 and niece Leanne in 2020.
A private family service will be held in Saskatchewan at a later date.