William D. White
CRESTLINE: William D. White, 63, of 8068 Krichbaum Rd., Crestline, Ohio died Monday, August 29, 2011 at MedCentral/Mansfield Hospital, Mansfield, Ohio after a brief illness.
Bill was born in Crestline, OH on December 21, 1947 to the late Marion and Helen (Ogi) White. He married Monica Lilly on June 6, 1980 and she survives him.
Bill was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps serving two tours of duty during the Vietnam War. Bill signed up under the Early Entry Program to enlist in the Marine Corps while a senior in high school.
Bill's service in the Marine Corps' Third Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division was marked with distinction.
He earned the Navy Marine Corps Medal for heroism, the Bronze Star with combat V, two Purple Heart Medals for actions on May 22, 1967 and September 28, 1967, and the Presidential Unit Citation.
He was sent to Language School in 1967 to learn Vietnamese. Bill earned the rank of Sergeant E-5.
Bill lived his entire life in Crestline. He was a graduate of Crestline High School, class of '66. Bill was a tractor-trailer driver for United Parcel Service for 30 years. He owned the former Main Street Wine Store from 1972 to 1977.
Bill served his community as a volunteer firefighter in Crestline from age 15 until 1990.
He was one of seven founding members of the Crestline War Memorial Committee.
He was coach and an assistant coach for Crestline Junior Baseball. He shared his experiences in Vietnam with students in the local schools from 1986 until the present. He was a member of the American Legion Post #488, Crestline, the Veterans of Foreign Wars #2920, Crestline, and the Disabled American Veterans in Bucyrus.
He was inducted into the Crawford County Veterans Hall of Fame in November of 2010.
He is survived by: his two sons, David White of Crestline, Daniel White of Columbus, Ohio; his grandson, Wesley White of Crestline; his sister, Judy White of Miami, FL, his brothers, Robert White and Albert White, brother-in-law, David Gekler, all of Crestline.
He is also survived by his father-in-law and mother-in-law, George and Dorma Lilly, Crestline; and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews; sisters and brothers-in-law, Debra and Mike Woody, Crestline, and Vanessa and Steve Gardner, Caledonia.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Relda Gekler.
Friends may call Thursday from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at the Mark A. Schneider Funeral Home, Crestline.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 2, 2011 at Gospel Baptist Church, Galion, Ohio with Pastor Fred Bleck, officiating.
Burial will follow in Greenlawn Cemetery, Crestline.
Full military honors will be given by the United States Marine Corps and the local Crestline/Galion veterans organizations at the graveside.
Memorial contributions may be made to A Special Wish Foundation in care of the funeral home.
Online condolences may be made to the family at masfh.com
Published in the News Journal on August 31, 2011