Colin Richard White

Just after midnight on September 25th, 2024 Colin Richard White took his last breath peacefully after a short fight with pancreatic cancer. He will be dearly missed by Barbara-Ann, his loving wife of 37 years, two daughters Elisabeth Pall (Steven) of Vancouver, BC and Meredith White (Sébastien) of Ottawa, ON. His siblings Susan White (David) of Newcastle, ON and Garth White of Whistler, BC, were both tremendously helpful to their brother after his diagnosis. Colin is predeceased by his parents June (née Griffiths) and Gordon White. 

Colin was born April 17th, 1959 in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. He spent his childhood summers either working on his family’s “hobby” apple orchard at Cove Cottage in Bowmanville, ON or improving his hockey skills at Bobby Orr’s summer camp. It is difficult to say how beneficial his time at Orr-Walton was given that a puck knocked out his two front teeth the day after getting his braces off (much to his parents’ chagrin). Sports provided an outlet for his competitive nature and restless spirit. He loved golf, skiing, running, and cycling. For over a decade Colin participated in the Birkebeiner, a 50 km cross country ski race in Hayward, Wisconsin. Despite his inconsistent preparation each year he was proud that he always finished; however, in 2007 race organizers disassembled the finish line seconds after he crossed it. 

When asked, Colin would claim that he was “forced” to take piano lessons for thirteen years. Although anyone that knew him would have a hard time believing that he could ever be convinced of doing something that he did not want to do. This formative experience with the piano instilled a lifelong love of music. He played the flute and double bass in the O’Neill Collegiate student orchestra and later dabbled with the guitar and banjo. He was modest about his own abilities but if you gave him an instrument and a few hours he could figure it out. Throughout his life he prioritized opportunities to see live music, whether that was an unknown bluegrass band in a local pub or a sold-out stadium show of an up-and-coming artist, he was always game to get tickets.

After high school, Colin moved to Montreal to study biochemistry at McGill University. Ever the rebellious spirit, he decided to take an undefined amount of time off to live in Alberta (much to his parents’ chagrin). It was there that he grew out his curly hair and worked odd jobs on a chicken farm, for a moving company, and as a valet at the Banff Fairmont Springs Resort. Thankfully, he decided that the vagabond life might not be for him. Then, heading home, he rode his steel frame bike as far as it would go and hitchhiked the rest of the way. He eventually graduated from McGill and started his career in St. Catharine’s, Ontario.

While in St. Catharine’s, Colin lived in a “party house” with a revolving door of childhood friends, which eventually lead him to reconnect with a girl who grew up down the street, Barbara-Ann Hart. After a whirlwind courtship filled with canoeing, camping, and hiking they were married on May 2nd, 1987 (much to his parents’ relief). In 1994 Colin’s growing career in the industrial lubricants sector required him to relocate his young family to the Chicagoland area. It was there that Colin helped raise his daughters, taught ski lessons at Four Lakes Alpine Snowsports, and worked incredibly hard to provide for his family. 

Colin was fiercely dedicated to his work, which often required him to travel across continents for long periods of time. In the early 2000s he was very involved in meeting the increased demand for specialized industrial lubricants in Mexico and China. He was a fantastic father, but one who would often take back-to-back conference calls on family road trips. He once spent an unreasonable amount of time trying to get a cottage dial-up connection to work so that he could email a report from rural Ontario. His commitment to excellence in his career garnered respect from his colleagues, clients, and competitors. Ultimately, he reprioritized his personal life and decided to retire two years early. He spent his last days tending to his extensive spicy pepper garden, chopping wood, and cruising his pontoon boat on Clear Lake in Redwood, New York.

Despite several significant moves and building a life that transcended two countries, Colin was great at fostering lifelong friendships. He was the type of guy who you could go years without talking to then pick up a conversation right where it left off. His intelligence caused him to have a unique sense of humour that not everyone understood, but when you did it was hilarious. He was a big fan of inside jokes and strange nicknames that his buddies kept alive for decades. When a friend needed help with something or wanted to celebrate, he would drop everything to be there. The salesman in him meant that new friendships came easily, and he fostered community wherever he went. He did not have a pretentious bone in his body, and was open to connecting with others from all walks of life and backgrounds.

Colin’s family would like to connect with all of his friends on October 4th at the Lakeridge Golf Club in Whitby, ON. Visitors are welcome to drop in between 1-4pm and brief words will be shared at 2:30pm. 

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the Shining Stars Foundation. This organization helps paediatric cancer patients, and their families have adaptive ski experiences in Colorado. Shining Stars is a cause that was near and dear to Colin’s heart for years.