Ferd Morris White
Ferd Morris White entered into God's eternal presence on Monday, March 18, 2024. He was 91.
He was a loving husband, son, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, and best friend. He was born on Feb. 26, 1933, to George and Bessie White in Knoxville. He was married to Agnes Roach White for almost 70 years on August 20, 2024. The pair leaned on each other through all of life's ups and downs. They were the perfect example of what a loving couple and parents should be.
He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Bessie White and his brother, William White. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Aricia Whitton and Jeff Whitton, their son and his life partner, Greg White and Linda O'Neal, and their son and daughter-in-law, Chris White and Tanya Scoggins White, their grandchildren, Jennifer Whitton, Lauren Whitton and her spouse Julia Binnicker, Julie Whitton Greene and her spouse, Randal Greene, Hannah White and Tyler White, and their great-grandchildren, Eleanor Leipow, Lucy Greene and Whitt Greene, and his sister, Glenna White Julian (W.C. Julian-deceased), and several nieces and nephews. He was dearly loved by his family!
Chaplain White was born and grew up in Knoxville. He lived in Chattanooga for over 63 years and shared a neighborhood with many beloved neighbors. He had a deep love for his church, First Baptist Church of Chattanooga, where he was an active member and served in leadership roles for over 50 years. He was particularly fond of the church's camp, Dogwood Lodge, serving on the camp's long-range planning committee. As chaplain, he supported the ministers of FBC for 56 years.
He graduated from Knoxville Central High School. He earned degrees from Carson-Newman College and Southern Theological Seminary.
Chaplain Ferd White served as chaplain at Erlanger Health System for 32 years before retiring at age 61. He started his tenure at Erlanger at age 29 at which time he was the youngest serving hospital chaplain in the country. He was instrumental in the implementation of the Clinical Pastoral Education at Erlanger. In recent years, the CPE of Chattanooga honored him with a scholarship fund for CPE students in his name. In the late 1960s, Chaplain White escorted the first African-American patient to share a hospital room with a white patient and for the first time integrated patient rooms. The transition was seamless and Erlanger entered a brighter era.
He loved the outdoors and spent many happy days in North Georgia in a wooded sanctuary on Red Fox Lake. Ferd shared life at Red Fox Lake with his family and dear friends.
Ferd continues to bless us with writings such as the following that he has left behind:
As I have lived in the darkness of the endless night,
I will also live in the glorious sunlight.
Though it may and will come again
I know of the constancy of the stars and the sunrise
As the days of spring let the days again become longer than the nights,
So will the spirit of the universe let my soul grow again
With the vitality likened to a budding tree or a blossoming flower.
Faith is the part of me that says, "It is good."
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 25, at First Baptist Church of Chattanooga, McEwen Chapel, 401 Gateway Ave., Chattanooga, Tn. 37402 with the Dr. Phil Summerlin and Dr. Thomas Quisenberry officiating.
The family will receive friends from 10–11 a.m. on Monday in the parlor at First Baptist Church.
Burial will be at 3 p.m. on Monday at Caledonia Presbyterian Church Cemetery, 7817 N. Ruggles Ferry Pike, Knoxville, Tn. 37924.
Memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church of Chattanooga, 401 Gateway Ave., Chattanooga, Tn. 37402.
Arrangements are by the East Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, 404 South Moore Road, East Ridge, Tn. 37412.
Please share your thoughts and memories at www.ChattanoogaEastChapel.com.