Della Jean White
Dec. 24, 1933 – Nov. 21, 2024
Della Jean White, 90, of Sweet Home passed away Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
She was born Dec. 24, 1933, to Clarence Delford and Mary Ellen (Matthews) Condra in Burns.
The family moved from Burns to Cottage Grove and Della attended school and graduated from Cottage Grove High School in 1952. Her family moved to Los Angeles County California in 1957. In 1970, she returned to Oregon with her family and lived in Lebanon until 2023 then she moved to Sweet Home for memory care.
Della and her husband Kenneth owned and operated KW Backhoe. They later owned White’s Lapidary. She was a member of the River Center church for many years and volunteered in the food box program.
Della enjoyed oil painting in her 30s. She liked ocean fishing and hunting. She was a rockhound and made jewelry with the polished stones. She was a life member of Sweet Home Rock and Gem Society and participated in gem shows throughout the Northwest. She hosted old-time country music jams in her home for years and after that met her music friends every Tuesday for breakfast.
Della is survived by her daughter, Patricia Cantwell of Sweet Home, and two step-daughters: Patti Barber and Sherri Ray both of Albany; 15 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth White (2015); and daughters Diane Ewing (2020) and Joanne Watson (2021).
A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14, at the River Center in Lebanon. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.