Obituary: William Read White
July 8, 1939 - December 24, 2022
December 30, 2022 William Read White, 83, of Arlington, Vermont, died on December 24, 2022. He was in the comfort of his home, surrounded by family as he wished.
William Read White, courtesy photo
He was born to the late Frank and Helen White of Arlington on July 8, 1939. Bill graduated from Arlington Memorial High School in 1957. He then went on to take classes at Wentworth Institute of Technology, the University of Vermont, the University of Connecticut, University of Hartford, and Kansas State University.
Bill married (Molly) Mary C. White in 1969, and they lived together in Arlington.
Bill worked most of his life in the field of (both building and road) construction in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont. He was a grade foreman and superintendent for the Palazzi Corp. for 12 years when he retired in 1990. He made and groomed snow at Bromley Ski Area for three winters and worked at the Stratton Sports Center for six years. He most recently worked part time at Chem Clean in Arlington for six years.
Bill served as president of the Alumni Association of AMHS in the early 1970s. He was an avid snowmobiler until an unfortunate automobile accident in 1987 left him disabled. He helped to organize the Green Mountain Trail Blazers Snowmobile Club in the beginning days of V.A.S.T. He and Molly loved snowmobiling onto Somerset Reservoir on full-moon nights and cooking hot dogs over a fire or leaving their home on Route 7A in Arlington and snowmobiling all the way to Massachusetts back in the old days!
He very much enjoyed taking trips with his wife, Molly. They traveled to York Beach and Acadia National Park in Maine, Abilene, Texas; New Orleans; around Lake Huron and Lake Superior; Niagara Falls; Chincoteague National Seashore; Wyoming; and St. John, Virgin Islands. Bill also loved taking family camping trips and had camped at most every state park in Vermont.
His favorite season was deer hunting season and he bagged many a buck. He was an avid Boston Red Sox fan and also enjoyed watching live ice hockey games.
He always had a keen sense of forecasting how something would turn out and saying, “Mark my words.” Funny, but he was always right and didn’t want you to forget it! Bill had a lively sense of humor and mischief. His children and grandchildren never tired hearing Big Bill’s stories of high jinks. Some family favorites include when he put an outhouse (which may or may not have had someone in it) in front of the double doors at AMHS, and when he changed the St. James Episcopal church loudspeaker from playing church hymns to Hank Williams. Even later in life he still showed a sense of humor. For example, instead of draining his pool, he went out midday and shot it full of holes with a .45 Magnum.
Bill served our country in the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1965. He was an in-country Vietnam veteran and held the position of head armorer.
Bill is survived by his wife, Molly; daughter and son-in-law, Kim and Will Belongia of Waterbury Center; son and daughter-in-law, Cory White and Marlene Holcomb of East Dorset, Vermont; and seven adorable and extremely smart grandchildren: Anna Belongia, Sawyer Belongia, Cassidy White, Colton White, Harleigh White, Huck White and Breck White; and many nieces and nephews.
Bill requested no church service and a private committal at the convenience of the family. To send personal condolences online, please visit sheafuneralhomes.com.