Deacon Evans Christopher White, Sr.

Deacon Evans Christopher White, Sr. was born December 25,1928 to the late Shedrach & Jeannette White. Surrounded by his loved ones,quietly he entered through the heavenly gates from his home Sunday evening,February 20,2011. He was the last of five brothers and four sisters. Evans was born and raised in Buckingham,Virginia and was the 9th of 10 children. His family attended Fork Union Baptist Church in Buckingham,Virginia. His great loves were God,family,singing and telling jokes. Evans loved to laugh and he always had a good joke or tall tale for anyone who listen. He truly believed that laughter was the best medicine. Deacon White began his walk with God at an early age,when he and his sisters,Bernice and Florence would sing. One day when they were holding"service",the Holy Ghost came in and he and his sisters were filled with the spirit. He received his formal education in Buckingham. Later,he attended A&T Colege in North Carolina and Virginia State College in Petersburg,Virginia,where he majored in agriculture and taught dairying and ice cream making. Working while attending Virginia State,he helped to build the foundation of several buildings that are still in use today. It was at Virginia State that he met his first wife,Mary Jane Mason of Petersburg. Through this union God gave four children;Avon,Jewell,Evans,Jr and Ronnell. Deacon White served in the United States Army from October 1951 to 1953. When his tour of duty was completed,he moved his family to Hanover,Virginia. He was gainfully employed by the Virginia State Welfare and Institutions Department;formerly called Hanover School for Boys. At Hanover,he became the first black to supervise a dairy for the State. He had completed authority over the operations of breeding and feeding cattle,and the pasteurizing and bottling of milk. For thirteen years he worked for the State of Virginia before moving on to work for the D.C Department of Corrections,Lorton Reformatory. He remained there for twenty-five years and retired with the rank of Sergeant. After retirement,he worked as a part time Animal Control officer for Prince William County. For several years Deacon White was a contributing writer for the Hanover Herald Progress and the Potomac News. Upon moving to Hanover,the family joined the First Union Baptist Church,under the leadership of the late Reverend Dr. B.S. Giles. As soon as he could he joined the Men's Chorus and Senior Choir. Not only did he sing with the choir,but often he was asked to sing at special occasions for various churches in the community. After the death of his first wife Mary and seeking a mother for his young children,Evans was joined in matrimony to Gloria Johnson in 1968. Gloria's daughter Sheree became his daughter and later they were blessed with a son named Shawn. The family then moved to Woodbridge,Virginia and joined the Star of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church,under the pastorate of Reverend Dr. Frederick S. Jones. Evans was ordained as a deacon at Star in 1980 and held the position as chairman for two years. he served as Sunday School Superintendent,where he was asked by Dr. Jones to write the Sunday School lessons for the entire school;this he did for several years. Singing God's praises was in Evans' veins,and once again he became a member of the Men's Chorus;in which he was one of their lead singers. He was an active member of the missionary society,where he enjoyed visiting the sick and shut-in;offering up fervent and effectual prayers. After their retirement.Evans and Gloria moved to Henrico,Virginia in 2004 and immediately united with the Union Baptist church of Ashland(Gloria's beloved home church),under the pastorate of Reverend Dr. Roland Cunningham. Through his many years of visiting at Union,Deacon White was welcomed as a deacon and served faithfully supporting the present pastor,Reverend Darrell Leftwich,until his health prevented him. But even then many people would come to his home seeking his wisdom and advice. Evans is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 43 years,Gloria Johnson White;four sons,Avon C. White (Yvonne),Rev. Evans C. White,Jr.(Rose)Ronnell O. White,Sr.(Sharon),and Shawn D. White(Monica) of Clinton,MD;two daughters;Jewell W. Deese(Gregory)of Woodbridge,VA.,and Sherree J. Tolliver ((one of his devoted care givers)of Richmond,VA;twenty-one grandchildren,including devoted Derrell;thirty-six great-grandchildren;a devoted niece.Carolyn Powell;six sisters-in-law,Clara(Dea. John)Jackson,Jewell(Mosker)Davis and Shelby(Sylvester)Coleman ,Irene Lewis and Ida Mason of Petersburg,VA,Florence White of Baltimore,MD and Sarah White of NY and many other relatives and friends.

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Deacon Evans Christopher White, Sr.

December 25, 1928 - February 20, 2011