Louella White, 81

Who was Louella White.

Oh boy...where to start.

Louella Jean Shoffner was born May 22, 1942 to Martin and Thelma Shoffner in Shelton WA, followed two years later by younger brother Gary. Around this time they moved to Hamilton where she spent the rest of her childhood.

In high school she met and fell in love with the man she married, Roger White, who was a little older and from a large family. They married on July 18, 1959. Having only 1 sibling, Louella was drawn to the feeling she got when around a family with eight kids. She knew immediately that she wanted to be a part of that family and experience having sisters that she never had in her own childhood. Louella also knew that is what she wanted with Roger. A big family full of love, chaos, sibling rivalry, laughter and a true love for God. Growing up in the White family proved all of these things to come true.

Once she started their young family it seemed like it was a yearly or bi-yearly event. Roger and Lou (as most people called her) had eight children born to them but Louella's heart was bigger than that. Over the course of the next forty years she longed to Mother other children as her own, in all five additional children.

Through her journey on this earth Louella experienced good times, bad times, happy and sad times. She had peaceful moments, crazy moments, loved and lonely moments. Louella was truly a remarkable woman and inspiration to more people than she would ever let herself believe.

We are all flawed people and that included Louella, but in the bigger scheme of things she was truly a Godly woman and it was important for all of her children to learn and live this lifestyle. She so often thought the least of herself and thought Heaven was beyond her but thankfully God's Grace is so much bigger than our doubts and fears.

The most children living in the house at one time was eight. With that anyone should be able to imagine how stressed and inadequate a person could feel. She dealt with it in many different ways, but the one that comes first to mind is that she would run a bath and take her Bible and read. It usually ended in her falling asleep there. As chaotic as life could get in this mob called a family that was her wind down and go to.

Shortly after the birth of Roger and Lou's child Louella's parents were taken in a tragic accident. This was very hard on her and it drew her closer to Roger's family and these bonds have stood through the hands of time.

Some of the traits she possessed as Mother will be seen in this next set of memories.

It was important to her that her children knew they were safe & loved. Almost on a nightly basis she would tell bedtime stories and everyone could hear because the houses were usually small & the bedrooms close together with the over flow sleeping on a sofa bed or a rollaway. The stories were your staple stories like, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, or Brer Rabbit and The Tar Baby. But they always had just a little extra flare on them. It never failed that she was asked to tell another one, then another and it was not just a ploy to stay up later but this was truly a bonding time for a loving Mother and her children.

She was creative and smart. As the older kids were young she decide to learn to knit. Instead of getting impatient with us while learning she took the time to teach us all how to knit as well. We can all still do this if we want but the point is she took time to teach us instead of sending us off as to not bother her.

The same was true with cooking. It would have been easier just to do it herself but if we wanted to "help" she was more than happy to let us do so. And I must say she has raised some might fine cooks! There would be times when you would go to the fridge or the cabinets and think "wow there is nothing" but she always seemed to put something together and you think "where did that come from?"

She was a very strong and determined woman. If she wanted a wall moved she just did it. It was not unusual for Roger to come home to a completely different floor plan.

Roger and Lou's relationship was not without some bumpy roads but there love endured and conquered. They may have bickered a bit but they were lost without each other. They were each others anchor.

Through the child raising and Roger's working years every morning Lou would get up 30-40 minutes before Roger, cook him breakfast and make his lunch. Sometimes on the way out if he was running a little late and in a hurry, she would say "where's my kiss?" And he would have to pause and take time for her.

Earlier it was mentioned that laughter was important to her & that she always made his lunches. There was never an April 1st that went by without some sort of surprise in his lunch, like rubber night crawlers or cardboard or some other thing like that in his sandwich, or possibly a can of dog food with a soup wrapper.

She truly loved to have fun and laugh and tried to teach her family the same.

This seems like so little to say about someone who touched more lives than imaginable but with 81 years of material to choose from these are just some memories that will hopefully show how truly special Louella Jean Shoffner White was and she will live on in the lives and memories of her children, grand children and friends.

She has now moved on to her final journey and role which she always has been but can now do so with no pain, sorrow, stress or worries and this is Daughter of the Holy Living God and Creator.

Rest in peace Mom....we love you and long to see you again where you are.

Lou's celebration of life will be held on Saturday, August 12 at 2 p.m. in Superior, in the Superior High School multipurpose room. There will be a barbecue reception immediately following at the 4-H building. Please join us to honor and remember your dear Mother!