Katherine Burns White, 94, of Chattanooga, died on Saturday, June 23, 2012.
She was a member of Northminster Presbyterian Church.
Katherine grew up in East Chattanooga where her father owned a grocery store on Glass Street. She graduated from Chattanooga High School and McKenzie School of Business. She attended the University of Chattanooga. For many years she was a legal secretary at several of Chattanooga’s most prestigious law firms. She later pursued careers with the Tennessee Valley Authority and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Before returning to Chattanooga in 2003, she lived in Birmingham, Anniston, and Jacksonville, Ala. An avid reader, she served on the board of the Jacksonville Public Library. She was an elder at the First Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville. She participated in the “roundtable” discussion group over lunch at the Village Inn in Jacksonville.
Throughout her life, she was known for her keen intelligence, sharp wit and independent spirit. In 1940 she soloed at the Chattanooga airport.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Hilton Ballard White; her parents, John Anderson Burns and Minnie Lee Huffaker Burns; her brothers, Arthur Lee Burns, Sr. and Eddie B Burns, and her nephew, Arthur Lee Burns, Jr.
Survivors include a niece, Helen Burns Sharp of Chattanooga and a cousin, Virginia Stanfiel Wrinkle of Chattanooga.
Visitation will be on Tuesday, June 26, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CDT at the K.L. Brown Funeral Home in Jacksonville, Ala. A graveside service will follow at 2 p.m. at Fort McClellan Military Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to Hospice of Chattanooga, 4411 Oakwood Drive, Chattanooga, Tn. 37416.
The family would like to thank the staff of Hospice of Chattanooga and Jay Nason and his staff at NHC Chattanooga (Parkwood).
K. L. Brown Funeral Home in Jacksonville, Ala., is handling arrangements.