Elaine Anderson White

Elaine Anderson White passed away February 16, 2024, in Preston, Idaho. She was born September 11, 1938 in Preston, Idaho to Harold and Oneida Davis Anderson. She was raised in Oxford, Idaho as the seventh of eight children born during the depression. With the family farm lost to the bank, two sisters dying before she was born and a brother lost just after WWII, Elaine learned much about hard work and grief upfront, but these were not her preferences. She was rich with an imagination that made up for everything. Every venue was a stage, and she was the star, teaching herself the piano, singing like a bird and twirling away from chores. She was never easy to govern and often raised eyebrows and voices at home but found a loving audience wherever she traveled: from playground to county fairs, talent shows to sports stadiums, singing and dancing away with awards and hearts across the county.

Elaine left home at 16 to marry Bob White, her high school sweetheart, in Moses Lake Washington on November 26, 1954; they were sealed in the Manti, Utah temple four months later on March 11, 1955. They later divorced, but first raised their family on the White farm in Weston, Idaho. Heartbreak followed with the death of their first baby daughter the following November but healed somewhat with the birth of Scott (Chris), David (Cindy), Stephanie (Mark Wright) and Jamie Thompson. Foster daughter Harriet Yazzie Otero found her way to the family nine years later when she joined us for her fifth-grade year. 

Elaine returned to school in her thirties to earn her GED, and eventually attended college to receive her CNA and discover a love of writing which continued throughout her life. She followed up the certificate with years of service at the Franklin County Medical Center’s Transitional Care Unit, holding hands, lifting hearts and drawing a giggle from the most vulnerable as they crossed the finish line. Many thanks to the current staff for returning the favor in her final years. You are truly extraordinary. 

The rigors of reality and family may have slowed Elaine’s ambitions for stardom, but she never forgot how to work a crowd - which she found no matter the size or the stage: spontaneously bursting into song in the car, dancing in the living room, or sharing some elaborate story or salty joke with anyone nearby. Aside from maybe the jokes, these skills were put to good use during years of service in LDS primary, relief society and scouts. She served a joyful mission in 2002 as tour guide at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City and was a lifelong member of the DUP.

Elaine’s exotic beauty turned heads but by far her most striking feature was the crystal clarity of her faith. Her understanding of our Savior was instinctive, her prayers long and heartfelt, her forgiveness reliable and her testimony unwavering. She fought fiercely, loved loyally, and danced through life like a little Idaho gypsy. She honorably and peacefully passed this torch of faith and joy to her many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren on February 16, 2024.

Services will be held on Friday, February 23, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Webb Funeral Home, 1005 S. 800 E., Preston, Idaho.  A viewing in her honor will be held from 10-10:45 a.m.  Interment will be in the Oxford Idaho Cemetery.  Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at webbmortuary.com

Services will be available to stream live at the following link:

https://youtube.com/live/j18F6kSD5qk?feature=share