Keith White Obituary

WHITE Keith Allyn White, 54, civil engineer, cellist Keith Allyn White, who died on Feb. 15, 2008, at the age of 54, loved his family, his friends, his church and his community. Keiths life will be celebrated in services at the Caldwell United Methodist Church, 8 Academy Rd., on Monday, Feb. 18, at 10:30 a.m. Galante Funeral Home, 54 Roseland Ave., Caldwell, is in charge of the arrangements. A devoted member of Caldwell United Methodist Church, Keith was a beloved father, friend, Sunday School teacher, and Youth Ministry leader. The son of a professional musician, he was blessed with perfect pitch, a beautiful voice, and a wide-ranging appreciation of music. He was equally happy playing classical music on his cello, singing in the Praise Band at his church, or blasting a Beach Boys CD in his car. Keith was born in Port Hueneme, Calif., entered school at Montclair, and later graduated from Mountain Lakes High School. He followed his father to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he earned a degree in civil engineering. He worked as an engineer for Kaiser Engineering, participating in the construction of nuclear energy plants. He spent several years in Canada before transferring to Ohio. He returned to New Jersey and worked for many years with his father before joining Foresight Engineering in Florham Park. In recent years, he also worked for the Star-Ledger. Keith was always willing to help people, regardless of the cost to him of time and energy. He served on numerous Caldwell Methodist Church committees and helped advance access to the church by people with disabilities. He participated in a committee that developed the use of technology for the church, and was also concerned with preserving the churchs history. Most recently, he helped develop goals and advocated for the restoration of the church through a capital campaign. Keith sang in the choir and small ensembles, played his cello in church, and celebrated his spiritual values through his music. It was his commitment to the youth of his church and community that will be a major part of his legacy, both at Caldwell and in Rockaway. Even his email address expressed his commitment to young people: [email protected]. Keith loved this work and experienced incredible joy through encouraging the personal and spiritual development of young people. He was also a devoted parent to his own three children and a supportive uncle to his nieces. Keith enjoyed theater, whether in the audience or on the stage. For many years, he performed in local community theater, and he served as a trustee of the Rockaway Town Square Theater. Last year, he began studying ballroom dancing, which brought him tremendous enjoyment. For over two years, Keith avoided the barbershop, allowing his hair to grow over 10 inches long. The weekend before he started chemotherapy, he had his hair cut and donated it to Locks of Love. Keith followed a family tradition of more than a century by becoming a member of the Caldwell Lodge No. 7 F&AM; he had also been a member of the Elisha Kent Kane Lodge of New York. Family tradition and local history were also interests of Keith, who was a descendent of the 17th century founders of New Jersey. He was a descendant of the first settlers of the Caldwell area and the founders of the Presbyterian Church, including the Gould, Crane, Baldwin, Personette, Harrison, Van Gieson, Wade, Cook and Douglas families. He was secretary of the League of Historical Societies of West Essex, a trustee of the Horse Neck Founders History and Genealogy Society and a member of David Ackerman Descendants-1662. He also donated his engineering expertise to the Historical Society of West Caldwell, evaluating and making recommendations for the continuing preservation of the Crane Homestead. Keith loved to laugh and had a fantastic sense of humor. His intelligence, respect for others, sensitivity and capacity for expressing gentle, tender love enriched everyone involved in his life; his passing leaves a void that cannot be filled. Yet, Keith was not afraid of dying. His beliefs were strong and he knew he would be in the arms of the Lord. When he learned of his diagnosis, he focused on three things: his family, his fiancee, and a musical composition project he had envisioned for decades. Keith is survived by his father, Ervin E. White; his children, Allyn, Meghan, and Gwen, and his beloved fiancee, Beth Rueter. He is also survived by his sisters, Beverly W. Crifasi, Melissa Watts White, and Jenifer Lewis, and his nieces, Tempe Watts, Tamara Crifasi, Libby Watts and Alexi Watts. Tributes to Keith and remembrances of his life are being posted by his family and friends on Keiths website at http://caringbridge.org/visit/keithwhite. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent for preservation of the Baldwin Farmhouse, and for establishment of the Ruth B. White and Keith A. White Education Center, care of Horse Neck Founders Inc., P.O. Box 122, Caldwell, N.J. 07006.