Cover photo for Elaine White's Obituary
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1925 Elaine 2020

Elaine White

April 18, 1925 — December 2, 2020

E laine Evelyn (Swanson) White was born on April 18, 1925, in Vilets, Kansas, in the Salem Community to Arvid Conard Swanson & Lydia Cynobia Schuck Swanson.  She passed away December 2, 2020 at Eastridge Nursing Facility in Centralia, Kansas.   She graduated from Vermillion High School in 1943 in Vermillion, Kansas.  After attending Washburn University for a short time, she taught school at Victory School near Vilets.  During the war, she worked at the Supply Depot in Topeka, Kansas making wooden boxes to ship airplane engines.  She married Lawrence Arthur White on March 7, 1945 in Warsaw, Missouri, while he was on leave, by his brother, Walter.

After Lawrence was discharged from the Army, they moved to a farm north of the Vermillion Cemetery where twins, Donna and Dorothy, were born in 1946.  Dorothy did not survive.  Later they moved to another farm on the Axtell road north of Vermillion.  While here Dennis (1950) and Dreda (1955) were born at the Seneca Hospital in Seneca, Kansas.  They moved to Vermillion, buying a home from Herbert Florence, where she resided until 1997.  Also, while here Danny was born (1964) at the Seneca Hospital.  In 1958, they moved to Antelope, Kansas for about six months while Lawrence worked in the oil fields.  In 1970, they moved to Morrill, Kansas for about one and a half years while Lawrence was the city maintenance person and Elaine worked at Duckwalls in Sabetha, Kansas.

Elaine was always a busy person whether she was wallpapering with her friend, Hazel Stowell, or cleaning homes for others during the early years.  In the late 1950’s, she cooked homemade meals with her sister-in-law, Mabel White, at the Vermillion Grade and High School.  In the late 1970’s, she worked at the Marysville Infirmary.  Then, she worked for 17 years at the Frankfort Care Home as a CNA.  She retired, moving to Wamego, Kansas to care for her two youngest granddaughters, Samantha and Cheyenne.  They lived in Abilene, Kansas and Jetmore, Kansas as well.  She moved back to Centralia, Kansas to senior housing in 2006.

During the 1970’s, her neighbor in Vermillion, Hannah Bishop, taught her how to quilt.  Each of her children and grandchildren were recipients of at least one quilt.  She did a lot of hand quilting for others while in Vermillion and Abilene.  She was doing hand embroidery up until she became ill with COVID.

Her greatest enjoyment was getting together and visiting with family and friends.

Elaine was preceded in death by her husband, Lawrence; her daughter, Dorothy; a grandson, Justin Smith; her parents, Arvid and Lydia Swanson; her sister, Lillian Vasti; and her three brothers Lloyd, Stanley, and Wesley Swanson.

She is survived by her two daughters, Donna (Charley) Catron and Dreda (Terry) Smith; her two sons, Dennis (Elaine) White and Danny (Debbie) White; her eight grandchildren, Marc Catron, Jonas (Ashley) Smith, Jessica (Shawn) Schneider, Janell (Kerry) Crotinger, Sydney White, Andrew White, Samantha (John) Swank, and Cheyenne White;  her fifteen great-grandchildren, Murphy Catron, Damon, Haley, Taya, Creighton, and Isabella Smith, Daren Schneider, Samantha Jones, Jennifer and Amber Schneider, Meagan and Jocelyn Smith, Lauren and Brecken Crotinger, and Luci White; her two great-great-grandchildren, Jacob and Lindsey Jones; her sister-in-law Jean Swanson; her many nieces and nephews, and her friends.

Graveside services will be held on Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at the Vermillion Cemetery in Vermillion, Kansas.  Graveside services conducted by Davidson Funeral Home in Topeka, Kansas.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Elaine White, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Graveside Service

Saturday, April 17, 2021

Starts at 2:00 pm

Vermillion Cemetery

TBA, TBA,

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