Phylis "Janae" White

Janae White, 54, beloved and admired by all, passed away after a 3 ? year battle with brain cancer at her home in Rock Island, Washington, April 2, 2013. She was born August 15, 1958 to Wallace Elmo Bergeson and Martha Louise Leavitt in Moses Lake, Washington. She worked hard to develop her many talents which she utilized in blessing the lives of those around her. She easily established lifelong friendships with all who met her. One of her greatest blessings was marrying Calvin G. White on August 5, 1978, in the Manti Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, for time and for all eternity. They loved and helped each other for 34 years as together they built a legacy of family, church, business, and service to others.

Early in Janae's life she started playing the piano. She practiced long hours and worked very hard to become an accomplished musician. At 13 she was the organist for church. That same year she also played the organ at downtown Moses Lake sidewalk sale functions. She played the piano and the flute in the Moses Lake Jazz Band where she very much enjoyed performing and playing music. At age 16 her mother would take her weekly to Cheney, WA for private lessons with an accomplished piano instructor at Eastern State University. In Janae's youth she was very energetic and very much enjoyed playing basketball and softball. She was a talented and fierce competitor and excelled in both. She grew up farming with her family in Moses Lake and much preferred driving the tractor to indoor chores. She attended Brigham Young University where she majored in Piano Performance. It was there that she met and finally fell in love with Calvin, after she soundly beat him in many racquetball games.

After their marriage, Calvin and Janae lived in East Wenatchee, WA, where she taught piano lessons to many students. She was immediately called to teach and mentor the young women in her church, where all of these girls became lifelong friends. A year later a little girl, Stacia Janae, was born. Janae continued to work with the young women and a couple of years later a son, Jared Calvin, was born. Seeing opportunity, the young family moved to Denver, CO where she was asked to serve in the Primary. She enjoyed teaching the children and especially spending time with her own. Bergen Mattie was born a short time later. After another couple of years they moved to Bellevue, WA, where Monique Paige was born. The young family relied heavily on her skills and abilities as a mother for their training and care. She taught them to sing, to play well together, and attended to them as Calvin spent many hours providing a living. She served again in the Young Women program and impressed many with her rapport and her dedication to instill in each of them the moral values taught by the Savior. They had lived for several years removed from the many family members they loved, so they decided to return to the Wenatchee area to raise their children. A year or so later, Judson Caleb joined the family followed lastly by Colton Dean. These six children and her husband became her world. She enthusiastically supported them through all of the soccor, basketball, and music lessons. In many games, Janae's "Ariba", like only Janae could do, was heard loudly as she cheered on her child as they made important plays or scored points. She loved, taught, enjoyed, and nurtured them the rest of her life. Janae was called to work with the Relief Society and, as was her custom, gave all of her energies to serving others. Her service became one of the many legacies she has left as a permanent example to all. Throughout all of these years she enjoyed so much playing the piano. For many years she served as the congregational organist. She has played at many, many funerals. She particularly enjoyed accompanying many talented vocalists, and thereby made many enduring friendships. She recorded and sold 5 different CD's including over 60 songs, making her own arrangements and including many instruments using computer software to provide the exact musical instrument sounds on each of the recordings. Over the years she especially liked to participate in sports. She played often with a group of determined racquetball players at the Wenatchee YMCA, even when she was 8 months pregnant. She was a very aggressive and determined player. She entered and won one of the first local Gold's Gym Body Transformation Contests. She competed in body building contests, was an accomplished fitness trainer, and very much enjoyed always being fit. She could often be seen running on Eastmont Avenue, or riding her bike or running on the loop. For many years she started her morning at the 5am aerobics class at Gold's Gym. Even when going to the Gym early every morning, Janae also taught early morning seminary from 6:30 am to 7:15 am to the 14 to 18 year old church youth for 9 years. As a result she became well versed in the scriptures and she very much loved to read and study her enlarged version. She loved her students and they "knew it" and it made all the difference in their lives. This required significant sacrifice on her part to co-ordinate all of her activities and still provide everything needed by her family. One of Janae's many talents was multi-tasking long before there was ever a term to describe it. She was always so supportive of Calvin as he worked hard and many late nights operating their various business interests including, at one point, 13 Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants and other development-related companies. Janae was especially loved by all of her KFC employees and KFC Franchisee friends. They loved to have her bubbly personality visit the restaurants, often to deliver meals to people in need of comfort and cheer.

Janae is leaving a legacy rich with love, service, compassion and kindness. Many people were quietly blessed by her gifts of flowers, cards, private talks, time and support. She selflessly blessed lives as she shared her love for the Savior and taught that adherence to his commandments would improve their lives, even bringing them peace.

She will be missed immensely by all who knew her especially her adoring husband and 6 children and their spouses, 15 grandchildren, 5 brothers and sisters, their spouses and children, 8 brothers and sisters in law, their spouses and children, her parents, her grandfather LeGrand Leavitt, and her mother-in-law, Phyllis White. She leaves many loving and adoring friends who served her so kindly and respectfully especially these last 7 months. After discovering the cancer, Janae was a source of support to others and chose to do all she could to live. She was supported immensely in this fight by her loving husband as they traveled and sought every kind of possible treatment that they felt might be a cure. She was so blessed to have such diligent and caring doctors and nurses treat her on countless occasions. With her competitive spirit and their use of leading-edge technologies, Janae was able to be with her family for several more years. Janae enjoyed traveling and going for family Sunday afternoon drives wherever she lived. She especially enjoyed playing her Steinway Grand Piano, and she could make it "ring". She loved the views from her home on the river where she loved gardening and planting all sorts of flowers, shrubs, and trees, usually without telling Calvin ahead of time. She loved the out-of-doors and the beautiful Wenatchee weather. Though Janae had fun and enjoyed many wonderful material blessings, she was a very humble and down to earth person and related to everyone. She is now free to soar to new heights lifted by her faith, confidence, and devotion to her family, church, and the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Heritage Memorial is in charge of the arrangements in East Wenatchee. Friends are invited to greet the family on Sunday, April 7th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 667 10th Street N.E., East Wenatchee, WA. The funeral will be on Monday, April 8, 2013 at 11 a.m. at the same building. The interment will take place at the Evergreen Cemetery directly after the funeral. Janae's family has a special request that everyone that knew Janae take a few moments to document and tell of their experiences with Janae so that these memories can be passed down to future grandchildren. This can be done by visiting www.HeritageMemorialChapel.com.