Grace
Olive (Miner) White
(1901-1970)
Grace
Olive (Miner) White was born on Jan. 7, 1901, in the Meadowlands area of
Washington, PA, the eldest of 7 children of Harry
O. and Armena V. (Cain) Miner.
Grace is seen below as a young girl, standing at top, with her sister Ollie, bottom left, and beloved aunt, Emma (Miner) White, who later became her sister in law.
When
her father died unexpectedly in 1919, when Grace was 18, she quit high school
and went to work making wicker carriages. In 1921, Grace traveled by train with
her youngest sister Anna to visit their elderly grandmother Mary
Louise Miner, who was dying in Upland, IN.
On Aug. 22, 1923, she married Lynn Forrest White (1899-1966) at her mother’s home. He was the son of Homer C. and Mary J. (Rodgers) White of Wolfdale, PA. Lynn’s brother, Rev. Lester Allen White, who performed the ceremony, was married to Grace’s aunt, Emma E. Miner. A Washington newspaper reported that the “bridal party entered the parlor to the strains of the Mendelssohn wedding march…. The bride was beautifully attired in white georgette and carried white roses.” Grace’s brother Odger Miner served as best man.
They went on to have 5 children – Harry, Marjorie, Ruth,
Ronald and Phyllis. Sadly,
Phyllis died as a baby, and was buried in Washington Cemetery. Grace
and Lynn are seen at left with Marge, Harry and Ruth, circa 1935.
At the time of marriage, Grace was a clerk, and Lynn was a truck driver for the Washington Grain and Feed Company. Within a few years, they moved to New Alexandria, Westmoreland County, PA, where their eldest son was born. They then moved back to Washington, where they lived in a house along Route 40 (the National Highway).
Lynn spent his entire working career as a truck driver. In 1947, he joined the Coen Oil Company of Washington, and “drove truck” there until his retirement on New Year’s Day 1965. Grace was said to be high strung, and to have had close to 25 strokes in her lifetime.
They
enjoyed attending Miner family gatherings. In the photo seen at right, of
a family dinner in 1952. Grace is second from right, with, from left to right, her
sisters Anna and Jessie, and her mother Armena.
Grace and Lynn were longtime members of the West Washington Methodist Church. He was a member of the church board for several years, and she and her mother were members of the Sunday School class.
In August 1963, they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with a family dinner at the Mansion House in Washington.
Lynn died on Feb. 4, 1966.
Grace died of the lingering effects of a stroke on Nov. 11, 1970. They are buried together at Washington Cemetery.
Copyright © 2000 Mark A. Miner